Blake Shelton's 'The Voice' Departure Finalized in 2020 — Why He's Leaving the Show Disclosed

Blake Shelton
Rick Kern/Getty Images for iHeartMedia

Blake Shelton's "The Voice" exit was reportedly a long time coming.

After giving little to none comments about his decision to leave "The Voice," Shelton shared more details about his decision during his discussion with Carson Daly on Monday's episode of "Today."

According to the 46-year-old "God Gave Me You" hitmaker, he started thinking about leaving as early as 2020 - a year before he married Gwen Stefani.

"I think I was close to calling it a day right when COVID hit," he said. "And then, because of COVID, I didn't want to walk away from the show and leave everybody in a bind. I mean, this show changed my life. I'll stay here until the world kind of gets back to normal again."

Blake Shelton Says "The Voice" Changed His Life

"The Voice" played a huge role in his professional and personal life. Through the show, he met his now-wife, and it reportedly changed his life in every way possible.

He also opened up about how the singing competition show turned his life upside down in a good way.

As for the other reason behind his exit, Shelton said he would do "a little bit of nothing."

Shelton confirmed his retirement from "The Voice" after being part of the judging panel for 22 seasons in an Instagram post in October. He started his coaching stint in 2011, and he soon met his now-wife, Gwen Stefani, after she joined them in 2014.


He did not disclose the reason behind his upcoming exit on the post, but he soon told Hoda Kotb during his appearance on the "TODAY" show that he wanted to focus on his family after his wedding to Stefani.

Shelton also expressed how much he wanted to "live some life," and that would only open if he gave up his "The Voice" position.

He also joked about staying if Kelly Clarkson had not come back. For what it's worth, the female singer confirmed her return to "The Voice" after taking a break for a year.

She and Shelton will work with Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper.

"I'd like for Kelly not to be on the show anymore," he quipped. "I just think there's too much Kelly Clarkson on television, in general."

Although Shelton will no longer be part of the show, he clarified to People that he would not leave the music industry and that he does not have plans to retire.

Tags
The Voice, Blake Shelton
Join the Discussion
Real Time Analytics