Adam Levine Addresses His Voice Exit: 'For Me, It Was Time to Move On'

Ryan Schwartz
Updated

Just hours after Carson Daly revealed that Adam Levine would depart The Voice after 16 seasons, the Maroon 5 frontman has opened up about his exit.

In a lengthy Instagram post on Friday, Levine reflected on the “surreal experience” of coaching The Voice for the last eight years, offering thanks to the show’s fans, producers, fellow coaches and host Carson Daly. (Even Blake Shelton gets a heartfelt shout-out!)

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“To all of the loyal Voice fans, there’s literally no show without you guys. For me, it was time to move on,” Levine wrote. “Your support has meant EVERYTHING… What an amazing ride. Thank you all so much.”

Levine’s exit was first announced on Friday’s Today broadcast. “After 16 seasons, Adam Levine, our beloved coach and friend, has decided to leave The Voice,” Daly said. “Adam was one of the original coaches who launched the show, winning the competition three times and inspiring many of the artists that he worked so closely with over the years… He’ll always be a cherished member of the Voice family… and we wish him nothing but the best.”

When The Voice returns this fall, Levine will be replaced by Gwen Stefani, who served as a coach during Seasons 7, 9 and 12. She’ll be joined by previously announced returning coaches Shelton, John Legend and Kelly Clarkson.

Just two days ago, TVLine published a Voice op-ed, which suggested that the NBC reality show needed to give Levine a season (or two) off. In a corresponding poll, nearly 60 percent agreed they had had their fill of Levine, while 27 percent worry the show won’t be the same without him.

Read Levine’s full post below, then drop a comment with your thoughts on his departure.

View this post on Instagram

About 8 years ago, Mark Burnett convinced us to sign up for this show where you sit in a big red chair with your back turned away from the singers on the stage. First thank you must go to Mark. ❤️ We had no idea what we were doing or where it was going. After the first day of shooting, I sat there, stunned. I said to myself “theres some magic here. Something is definitely happening.” It went on to be a life shaping experience that will be close to my heart forever. Thank you NBC for signing me up. I am truly honored to have been a part of something I’ll always cherish for the rest of my life. Thank you to every single coach I ever sat in those chairs with. That is shared experience that is singularly ours. We have that for life. Thank you to everyone who supported this long strange and amazing left turn into a place I never thought I’d go. Thank you Carson Daly for babysitting the musicians and making sure our shoes were tied and we had our lunch boxes. You are the backbone of this thing and we appreciate you more than you know. Audrey, thank you for being perhaps the most patient person in all the free world. 4 musicians all at once is a lot. Sainthood is imminent. Thank you to Paul Mirkovich and the band for their ridiculously hard work and learning more songs than maybe any band ever. 😂 Thank you to the people behind the scenes who do the real work and make this machine hum. To the amazingly talented vocalists who competed on the show and blew my mind on a daily basis. And, BLAKE FUCKIN’ SHELTON. I couldn’t hide my love for you if I tried. Seriously. I tried. Can’t do it. Our friendship is and always will be one for the books. Whatever this whole surreal experience was, Im just happy I got to experience it with you. You’re my brother for life. Kelly and John, take care of the cowboy and I’m sure I’ll be back to say hi very very soon. So much love to you both. And lastly, to all of the loyal voice fans, there’s literally no show without you guys. For me, it was time to move on. Your support has meant EVERYTHING. And Lastly, I’d like to thank my manager Jordan for convincing me to take that meeting. 😊 What an amazing ride. Thank you all so much. ❤️ Adam

A post shared by Adam Levine (@adamlevine) on May 24, 2019 at 8:12am PDT

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