Why Did Blake Shelton Leave ‘The Voice’? His Exit Explained Amid Season 25 Finale Return

The Voice will celebrate its 25-season run during the season 25 finale and former coach Blake Shelton will be making his big return to the show for the occasion. Blake was the longest-lasting original coach on the singing competition show before he left at the end of season 23 in May 2023.

Why Did Blake Shelton Leave ‘The Voice’?

Blake left The Voice to focus on spending time with his wife, Gwen Stefani, and her three sons. He became a stepfather to the boys when he married Gwen in 2021.

“If I walked away from my career at this time, the only thing that I run the risk of is having regrets that I’m missing out on some more important things in life,” he told People in December 2022. “For now, that’s our kids. This isn’t about me anymore and never will be again.”

Gwen shares her sons with ex Gavin Rossdale. Blake never had any children of his own and has an extremely close bond with the boys. He and the No Doubt frontwoman have been together since 2015, so he has spent years building his close relationship with them.

In a January 2023 interview with Access Hollywood, Blake added, “I think being a stepdad has changed my perspective in that I’m not the first person that I think about anymore. 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 is that going to work?’ or, ‘What will they think?’ or, ‘How will that affect a schedule?’ I think the only way for me to really do that right is to step away from being committed to something like The Voice that demands a lot of your time.”

Additionally, Blake said he wanted to put some more focus back on his music career. “I’m enjoying watching what’s happening and putting a song out once in a while,” he said. “That’s another reason that I’m excited to get some time back away from The Voice and concentrate more on, ‘What kind of record do I want to make? Is it going to fit in? Do I care? Do I not care?’ I got a lot to figure out.”

The “God’s Country” singer also began hosting the game show Barmageddon on USA Network. The first season aired at the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023, while season 2 premiered in November 2023.

When Did Blake Shelton Leave ‘The Voice’?

Blake announced his decision to leave the NBC show in October 2022. He revealed that season 23, which aired in the first half of 2023, would be his last.

“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 next season,” he wrote on Instagram. “This show has changed my life in every way for the better and it will always feel like home to me. 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. It takes a lot of work, passion, and adult beverages (Ha!) to pull off a live show twice a week.”

He continued, “I’ve made lifelong bonds with Carson and every single one of my fellow coaches over the years, including my wife Gwen Stefani. I want to give a huge shoutout to the singers – the ‘Voices,’ who come on this stage season after season and amaze us with their talent and a special thanks to those who chose me to be their coach. Lastly, it’s about y’all, the fans, who watch and support these artists, us coaches and everyone at The Voice who are chasing their dreams.”

In a subsequent interview on The Jennifer Hudson Show, he admitted that he stayed on the show longer than he initially expected.

“I was planning on wrapping it up around 20 seasons or 21 seasons and then obviously COVID hit and then I didn’t want to walk out on the show in the middle of COVID and them trying to scramble and figure out what to do,” Blake explained. So I stayed. I didn’t have anything else to do anyway, so I stayed a little bit longer.”

How Many Times Did Blake Shelton Win ‘The Voice’?

Blake first appeared on The Voice during season 1 in 2011. During his 23 seasons as a coach, he won nine times.

The singer’s first win was during season 2 with Jermaine Paul. He then earned back-to-back victories in seasons 3 and 4 with country artists Danielle Bradbery and Cassadee Pope.

After a few seasons without a win, Blake picked up victory No. 4 during season 7 with Craig Wayne Boyd. He then won season 11 with Sundance Head, season 13 with Chloe Kohanski, season 18 with Todd Tilghman and season 22 with Bryce Leatherwood.

“It changed the path of my career,” Blake admitted in a 2023 interview with Today. “When I came on as a coach on this show, everything in my life was turned upside down. And in a good way, you know? This has been incredible. But it’s time, you know. It’s time for not even what’s next. A little bit of nothing would be nice.”