Blake Shelton Says Stepparenting Gwen Stefani’s Kids Can Be ‘More Difficult’ Than Being Their Biological Dad
Fans of The Voice Season 24 miss Blake Shelton, but we know he’s at home wishing Gwen Stefani well as she takes over as a coach. Shelton has gotten to know Stefani’s kids well over the years. And recently, he opened up about how it feels being a stepfather to her three sons. Here’s what he said about the difficulties of being a stepdad.
‘The Voice’ star Blake Shelton talked about the difficulties of being a stepfather
The Voice stars Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani found love after meeting on the show. While Shelton had no kids before meeting Stefani, Stefani has three boys with her ex-husband, Gavin Rossdale. Shelton stepped into the role of stepfather willingly with Stefani’s kids. But it was certainly a change of pace for the country star.
While speaking on Today, Shelton talked about how he thinks being a stepparent might be even harder than being a biological parent. “I’ve had stepparents,” Shelton said. “I think it’s, in some ways, harder, more difficult. I try to be careful about when to step back and be smart about when to step back and just talk, but no matter what, I’m always there if I’m needed.”
Blake Shelton said Gwen Stefani’s kids have ‘taught’ him life lessons
Blake Shelton takes stepparenting Gwen Stefani’s kids seriously and once talked about the crucial lessons the kids have taught him.
“They’ve taught me something about myself that I never knew: I’m more than just a country singer or a goofy guy,” he told People in December 2022. “I’m someone they actually lean on, and that’s not a responsibility that I ever had and not something that I ever considered even being into.”
Shelton called the feeling of stepparenting “a different kind of self-worth.”
“Maybe it’s the opposite of self-worth because you put yourself way down on the rung, and they move up ahead of you,” he continued.
Part of Shelton’s reasoning for leaving The Voice behind had to do with Stefani’s kids, too. He told People he might’ve regretted continuing the show if it meant more time away from her children. “I feel like my regrets would be, if I stayed on this path, that I am missing out on some more important things in life — and for now, that’s our kids,” he continued.
Gavin Rossdale says he and Gwen Stefani don’t co-parent
Blake Shelton is taking on a considerable role as stepdad with Gwen Stefani’s kids. As for Stefani and her ex, Gavin Rossdale, they don’t co-parent. Rossdale shared that he and Stefani have entirely different parenting methods, so they keep it separate.
“I think you can go one of two ways — you can either do everything together and really co-parent, and see how that goes — or you can just parent,” Rossdale told the Not So Hollywood podcast in June 2023. “And I think we just parent.”
“We’re really different people,” he added. “I don’t think there’s much similarity in the way we bring them up. I think that gives them an incredible perspective to then choose which piece of those two lives they’d like to inherit and move on with, and which part of themselves comes out. That’s what’s important is to give them a wide view of things. We definitely have some particularly opposing views, so I think it’ll be really helpful for them to make their own ones, as they should as individuals.”
The Voice Season 24 airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
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