Why Did Adam Levine Leave ‘The Voice’? Inside His Reason for Exiting After 16 Seasons as a Coach

Adam Levine’s exit from The Voice in 2019 was quite controversial, as he had already signed on to coach another season of the show when he announced his decision to leave. However, the Maroon 5 frontman will return to the show to celebrate its 25-season run during the season 25 finale on May 21, 2024.

When Did Adam Levine Leave ‘The Voice’?

Adam left The Voice after season 16, which aired during the spring of 2019. Although Adam was already confirmed as a coach on season 17, host Carson Daly revealed on the May 24, 2019, episode of the Today show that Gwen Stefani would be replacing him for the upcoming season. The announcement came one day after the season 16 finale.

After the news broke, Adam wrote a lengthy statement on Instagram about his exit. “After the first day of shooting, I sat there, stunned. I said to myself “theres [sic] some magic here. Something is definitely happening.” It went on to be a life shaping experience that will be close to my heart forever,” the singer gushed. “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.”

He went on to thank “every single coach” he worked with on the show, as well as Carson and other people from the crew. The statement continued, “To the amazingly talented vocalists who competed on the show and make this machine hum. And, Blake F--KIN’ 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 is, I’m just happy I got to experience it with you.”

His message concluded with a note to the fans. “There’s literally no show without you guys,” Adam said. “For me, it was time to move on. Your support has meant EVERYTHING.”

Why Did Adam Levine Leave ‘The Voice’?

In the seasons leading up to Adam’s exit, he failed to have success with his team members. He had no artists in the finals during seasons 14, 15 and 16.

A controversial decision during season 15 also led to Adam facing major backlash from fans. During that season’s top 10 episode, Adam had two artists – Reagan Strange and DeAndre Nico – left in the competition. However, they were both in the bottom three and in danger of elimination after their performances. The bottom three artists all had a chance to sing one last time for the instant save.

Reagan was sick that week and couldn’t perform her instant save song, but viewers were still able to vote for her if they wanted her to move on in the competition. Adam urged fans to vote for Reagan and give her another chance, which many viewers took as a slight to Nico, who Adam didn’t advocate as hard for, even though he performed during the instant save.

While Adam did not address the backlash, it was reported by TVLine in May 2019 that he was becoming increasingly difficult to work with. The site referenced an alleged incident that took place while the cast was pre-taping the season 16 semifinals, which Adam reportedly didn’t want to attend because he had no artists left.

An eyewitness told TVLine that the dad of three was “difficult” during the taping. The site noted that Adam’s alleged attitude “might have stemmed” from a rule change in the competition that season, which is what allowed so many of his team members to be eliminated at once. He also reportedly appeared unenthusiastic while performing with his fellow coaches at the NBC Upfront the following day.

“Adam had been checked out for a while,” a source told TVLine. “But this was a new low. It was essentially the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

Adam finally opened up about his decision to leave The Voice while appearing on Howard Stern’s radio show in October 2019. “I was ready to not be doing it anymore, I think for a little bit,” he admitted. “I think that when it all kind of naturally happened, I was like, ‘OK, it feels right.’ For better or worse, the moment in which we decided to walk away felt really good. It was the right time for me to go.”

He called The Voice a “life-altering experience” for him, but said he was ready to step away for his family. “It got to the point where I got married, I had two kids, and I wanted to spend time with them,” Adam explained. “They were really little.” The rocker married Behati Prinsloo in 2014 and they now have three children together.

Later that month, Adam appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and added, “I do miss it, but I also don’t miss how much I had to work. I was just constantly working for many years. Very lucky, very fortunate, very blessed and all that, but just to be able to stop in this moment to spend time with my new young family and just have the greatest time ever [was important].”

Adam Levine’s Return to ‘The Voice’

Adam returned to The Voice during the season 20 finale in May 2021. He performed with his band, Maroon 5, and sang their song “Beautiful Mistakes.” He also made an appearance on the season 23 finale in May 2023 to help say goodbye to Blake Shelton as the country star concluded his final season of the show. During the season 25 finale in May 2024, Adam will honor the show’s 25-season milestone with another appearance.

However, he has no plans to return to the series as a coach. During an Instagram Q&A in 2020, a fan asked, “Come back to The Voice?” and Adam replied, “No thank you?”

How Many Times Did Adam Levine Win ‘The Voice’?

Although Adam didn’t have a great run during his last few seasons as a coach, he did see some success with his artists on the show over the years. He won the show three times during his 16-season run.

Adam won the very first season of the show in 2011 with artist Javier Colon. He then secured a victory in season 5 with Tessanne Chin and season 9 with Jordan Smith.