The Voice is back for its 26th season, but fans struggle to handle the singing competition without the long-lasting original coach, Blake Shelton. The country singer left the NBC show in May 2023 after 23 seasons.
When making a brief return in May 2024 — when the reality TV show celebrated 25 seasons – he left fans hoping the singer would make a full-time return. However, it looks like the star is not looking to return any time soon.
Blake started coaching wannabe singers on season one of The Voice alongside Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, and CeeLo Green. He announced he was stepping away in October 2022 in an Instagram post.
“I’ve been wrestling with this for a while, and I’ve decided that it’s time for me to step away from The Voice after Season 23,” he wrote. “This show has changed my life in every way for the better, and it will always feel like home to me.”
He added, ”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.”
Blake Shelton Quit The Voice To Spend Time With His Family
Blake Shelton admits he left The Voice to spend more time with his family, including his stepchildren, with his wife, Gwen Stefani.
Gwen Stefani’s Children
- Kingston James McGregor Rossdale, 18
- Zuma Nesta Rock Rossdale, 16
- Apollo Bowie Flynn Rossdale, 10
He told Access Hollywood in January 2023 that becoming a stepfather had changed his perspective and made him less selfish. “Even to the small little things when you go, ‘I think I’ll do this,’ the very next thought is always, ‘Well, wait a minute. How’s that going work?’ Or, ‘What will they think?’ Or, ‘How will that affect a schedule?'”
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He explained that coaching on The Voice “demands a lot of your time” and that you “have to be 150 percent in,” which affected how he parented his three stepchildren. “And I just feel like those days are behind me for now. I got a more important job.”
In an interview with Extra, Gwen Stefani echoed his sentiment, explaining how her husband wanted more time outside of work. He was previously filming two seasons a year alongside touring. “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.”
We have Oklahoma, 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.
Blake also told PEOPLE he was excited to return to his career in music.
- According to Billboard, he has had 43 songs hit the Billboard Top 100 and 28 No. 1 country singles under his belt.
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“The last couple of years, especially since I’ve retired from The Voice, I’ve just kind of been trying to be very mindful of the next thing that I do, be thoughtful about it, and be sure that I’m not just doing things because I’m on the hamster wheel anymore,” he told the outlet, admitting he wasn’t sure where the last decade had gone.
Earlier in 2024, Variety reported that Blake Shelton left Warner Music Nashville after 25 years and signed with BMG. This could be a sign that the star is looking to do something new with his decades-long career. He starts his Las Vegas residency in February before heading out on a “Friends & Heroes Tour.”
Blake Shelton met Gwen Stefani while making
The Voice
in 2014. The pair were married to other people at the time, although Stefani divorced Bush singer Gavin Rossdale in 2016, and Blake divorced fellow country singer Miranda Lamber in 2015. The pair allegedly bonded over their divorces and made their red carpet-debut in February 2016. The pair wed in July 2021.
Will Blake Shelton Ever Return To The Voice?
Blake Shelton isn’t planning on returning to the red chair as a coach on The Voice anytime soon. In an April 2024 interview with E! News, he admitted after 23 seasons, he was done with the singing competition.
Although the singer appreciated the way the producers were always coming up with ideas to keep the show “exciting,” he needed to get back to the “day job” and concentrate on his career as a singer.
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One of the main reasons for the show’s success is that the contestants are coached by famous professional singers.
“I don’t mean to sound like I’m not a part of the family anymore,” he explained. “It was the most important years of my life where I was a coach on The Voice. But as far as the job goes, I don’t think I’m ever ready to do that again as I sit here now.”
According to The New York Post, Blake admitted there was one way he would return to the NBC show. “If they were ever able to put together the original four coaches again, maybe [I’d return] for one season, a one-off,” he shared, in reference to reuniting with CeeLo Green, Christina Aguilera, and Adam Levine.
Blake Shelton On Winning The Voice A Record Amount
Blake Shelton proudly holds the honor of claiming the most victories in the show’s history, with nine wins for Team Blake. His win came in season 2 when R&B singer Jermaine Paul won the singing competition.
Winner | Winning Season |
Jermaine Paul | Season 2 |
Cassadee Pope | Season 3 |
Danielle Bradbery | Season 4 |
Craig Wayne Boyd | Season 7 |
Sundance Head | Season 11 |
Chloe Kohanski | Season 13 |
Todd Tilghman | Season 18 |
Cam Anthony | Season 20 |
Bryce Leatherwood | Season 22 |
His Season 4 winner, Danielle Bradbery is one of the most successful The Voice winners. She has had 15 songs on the Hot Country chart, including “Goodbye Summer” with Thomas Rhett.
Members of Team Blake returned for Shelton’s final episode, getting up on stage to Green Day’s “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” with their former coach. Cassadee Pope, Ian Flanigan, Dia Frampton, the Swan Brothers, and Danielle Bradbery were just some of the former contestants to return and bid farewell to Blake.
The Voice is a reality singing competition created by John de Mol. It sees a variety of judges pick singers blindly for their team and then compete against one another in special knockout rounds until only one singer and judge reigns supreme. Some judges on the show have included Adam Levine, Usher, CeeLo Green, Christina Aguilera, and Gwen Stefani.
- Release Date
- April 26, 2011
- Main Genre
- Reality
- Cast
- CeeLo Green , Shakira , usher , Miley Cyrus , Alicia Keys , Jennifer Hudson , Nick Jonas , Ariana Grande , Camila Cabello , Chance the Rapper , Niall Horan , Reba McEntire , Dan + Shay
- Seasons
- 26
- Network
- NBC
- Streaming Service(s)
- Bravo , E! , Peacock
