Why Blake Shelton Wouldn’t Return to ‘The Voice’
Blake Shelton is comfortable in the decision he made to leave The Voice after its 23rd season.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight at the grand opening of Ole Red Las Vegas on Wednesday, April 17, Shelton, 47, reflected on what he’s missed about the show since leaving a year ago.
“I miss the people,” he said. “I mean, those people became like family to me, literally from the crew all up to the producers of the show. I was with them more than I was with my family … I miss that.”
He then added that he doesn’t “miss the job at all.”
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Shelton’s run with The Voice began with the show’s premiere in 2011. He was one of the series’ original coaches alongside Christina Aguilera, CeeLo Green and Adam Levine. Shelton was a winning coach nine times and finished as runner-up in an additional 15 seasons. His most recent win came in season 22.
“I totally needed a break from that, because if I wasn’t into it then it wasn’t good for whoever was on my team,” Shelton explained of his reasoning for leaving the singing competition series. “I don’t want to be someone who’s just going through the motions. Those artists need somebody fighting for them.
He added: “The second I started feeling like, ‘Oh my gosh, I don’t even remember what season this is anymore. Who are the coaches on this season?’ [I knew that] I needed [to get] away from here.”
That’s not to say Shelton is completely opposed to the idea of a return. Though he can’t see himself coming back as a regular, he would consider an appearance for a special alongside the other original coaches.
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“If they were ever able to put together the original four coaches again, maybe [I’d return] for one season, a one-off,” he said. “That would be fun for me … That would be something I would be interested in doing.”
Though Shelton’s time as a regular is in the past, he said he was thankful for his time on The Voice. It is, after all, where he met his wife, Gwen Stefani, who joined as a coach in season 7.
“When you find that life partner, that missing piece you didn’t know what was missing … it’s like, ‘Golly, you can go ahead and kill me if this ever goes away or ends or something happens. There’s no going back now,'” he said of Stefani, 54.
The Voice is currently in its 25th season. John Legend, Reba McEntire and Chance the Rapper all returned as coaches, with Dan + Shay joining the show as the first-ever coaching duo.
The Voice airs Monday nights at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
