Gwen Stefani Replacing Adam Levine as ‘The Voice’ Coach for Season 17
The Voice host Carson Daly delivered surprising news on Today on Friday morning (May 24): Longtime coach Adam Levine will be leaving the TV singing competition. In his place, The Voice has re-hired Gwen Stefani.
Levine, the frontman of pop-rock band Maroon 5, is one of The Voice's original coaches and has won The Voice three times. His departure leaves Blake Shelton as the show's only remaining original coach.
"Having a hard time wrapping my head around @adamlevine not being at @NBCTheVoice anymore. After 16 seasons that changed both of ours lives," Shelton writes on Twitter. "I only found out about this yesterday and it hasn’t set in on me yet. Gonna miss working with that idiot."
Stefani -- who has been dating Shelton since the fall of 2015 -- previously coached on The Voice in Season 9 and Season 12. The pair met through the show, in fact.
The news of Levine's departure is a shock not only because of his lengthy tenure on the show, but also because The Voice's showrunners announced on May 10 that all four Season 16 coaches -- Levine, Shelton, Kelly Clarkson and John Legend -- would return for Season 17. Clarkson and Legend are still sticking around, though, for their fourth and second seasons as coaches, respectively.
Season 16 of The Voice concluded on Tuesday (May 21). First-time coach Legend's team member Maelyn Jarmon was crowned the winner, while three of Shelton's team members placed second, third and fourth.
Top 6 Incredible Country Moments From 'The Voice'