Blake Shelton Wanted to Leave ‘The Voice’ Years Ago — Here’s Why He Stayed
The Voice has been a life- and career-changing experience for Blake Shelton, who has coached on NBC’s singing competition since its premiere in 2011. However, last year, he announced his decision to walk away after season 23. In a recent interview, Blake Shelton revealed that leaving The Voice actually crossed his mind a few years ago, but he decided to stick around a bit longer. Here’s why.
Why is Blake Shelton leaving ‘The Voice’?
Shelton’s announcement came in October last year as The Voice entered season 23 filming. He revealed in a statement on social media that he had been “wrestling with” the decision to quit for a while.
“This show has changed my life in every way for the better, and it will always feel like home to me,” he wrote. “It’s been a hell of a ride over these 12 years of chair turns, and I want to thank everyone at The Voice from NBC, every producer, the writers, musicians, crew, and catering people, you are the best. It takes a lot of work, passion, and adult beverages (Ha!) to pull off a live show twice a week.”
The reason for Shelton’s departure is simple: It’s just time. He has shared in multiple interviews that he’d like to have more time to spend with his wife, Gwen Stefani, whom he met on The Voice, and his stepchildren, Kingston, Zuma, and Apollo.
“The kids see me as a very important person in their life,” he told People. “[When they ask,] ‘Why isn’t Blake here?’ I take that stuff to heart. I’ve made plenty of money, but you can’t buy time back. I don’t want any regrets.”
Blake Shelton knew he wanted to leave ‘The Voice’ in 2020, but he decided to stick around
Blake Shelton’s decision to leave The Voice goes all the way back to 2020, as he recently revealed on Today. He said that he “was close to calling it a day” around the time that the COVID-19 pandemic began.
“And then, because of COVID, I didn’t want to walk away from the show and leave everybody in a bind. … I’ll stay here until the world kind of gets back to normal again,” he said.
Of course, it was the least Shelton could do after The Voice “changed his life.” When he first joined the competition, he hated reality TV and even thought The Voice, in particular, was “stupid.” However, he quickly changed his tune when the show gave him a career boost and introduced him to the love of his life. He eventually found it impossible to get tired of The Voice.
“When I came on as a coach on this show, I mean, everything in my life was turned upside down,” Shelton added. “And in a good way, you know?”
What’s next for Blake Shelton?
Though Shelton’s days on The Voice are ending, his country music, business, and reality TV careers are still going strong. He is currently in the middle of his Back to the Honky Tonk Tour, which is set to wrap up at the end of March. Shelton’s Ole Red bar franchise is also expanding, with a new Las Vegas location opening later in 2023. Finally, he and Carson Daly are returning for a second season of their game show on USA Network, Barmageddon.
Shelton’s fans might also expect to see him take a break from his career chaos.
“This has been incredible, but it’s time, you know. It’s time for not even what’s next. A little bit of nothing would be nice,” he told Today.
Blake Shelton’s final season of The Voice begins tonight, March 6, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
