How Gwen Stefani Really Feels About Blake Shelton Leaving ‘The Voice’
Gwen Stefani is ready to support her husband as he ends a huge chapter of his life. Earlier this year, Blake Shelton announced that he’d be leaving The Voice after 23 seasons. Naturally, many fans have wondered what Shelton’s future will look like with fellow The Voice coach Stefani, whom he married in 2021. Stefani opened up about the situation in a recent interview, revealing why Shelton decided to leave and how she really felt about the news.
Why is Blake Shelton leaving ‘The Voice’?
Shelton announced his official exit from The Voice via a statement in October. He revealed that he “wrestled with” the decision for a while but felt it was time to move on.
“This show has changed my life in every way for the better, and it will always feel like home to me,” his statement read.
Shelton never shared exactly why he wanted to leave The Voice. However, Stefani recently told Extra (via NBC Insider) the decision came down to Shelton wanting “more time.”
“I think that Blake — I don’t know, I think he just wants more time, you know what I mean? I don’t know that people realize, if he’s doing two seasons a year, right? In between that, he’s touring. So he actually has two teams at the same time at a certain point, so they overlap,” she said. “So it’s a lot of brain power, it’s a lot of time away from the family, those kinds of things. I think he just got to a point where he just wants time in his ranch, like time to just do the other things that he loves to do.”
Gwen Stefani said she’s excited about Blake Shelton leaving ‘The Voice’
Shelton’s exit is heartbreaking for many fans of The Voice. Stefani, on the other hand, admitted that she’s excited for him to step away. Not only does it give Shelton a chance to work on other projects, but it also gives him more time to spend with his wife and their family.
“I’m excited for him because, you know, we have lives outside of work, and it’s a really good life, it’s really fun, and we have so much fun! We have [Shelton’s Oklahoma ranch], which is something I never knew I needed and wanted, you know? We planted a garden, we do all kinds of fun stuff. So we’re looking forward to doing some of that family stuff together. It’s gonna be great,” Stefani explained.
Still, the pop singer admitted that future teams on The Voice will miss out on a chance to be coached by someone “so talented,” “so funny,” and “so great on the show.”
“I’m sorry, guys, but it wasn’t my decision,” Stefani added. “It’s totally him and I’m excited to see what’s gonna come next. ‘Cause I betcha something’s out there that we don’t even know about.”
Who will replace Blake Shelton after season 23?
Shelton is set to appear as a coach one more time on The Voice Season 23 in the spring. He’ll be joined by newcomers Chance the Rapper and Niall Horan and returning coach Kelly Clarkson. NBC has not yet announced Shelton’s replacement for season 24. We have a few ideas of coaches we’d like to see, including Brad Paisley and Keith Urban.
For now, fans can continue to watch Blake Shelton on The Voice Season 22. New episodes air on Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. Next-day streaming is also available on Peacock.
