Adam Levine’s Leaving ‘The Voice’, and Blake Shelton Really Is Gonna Miss Him [WATCH]
Blake Shelton and Adam Levine's on-screen "bromance" is coming to an end. On Friday (May 24), Levine announced that he'll be leaving The Voice after spending 16 seasons as a coach of the TV singing competition -- and despite their love/hate relationship in front of the cameras, it seems as though they'll really miss working with each other.
"Having a hard time wrapping my head around @adamlevine not being at @NBCTheVoice anymore. After 16 seasons that changed both of ours lives," Shelton tweeted on Friday. "I only found out about this yesterday and it hasn’t set in on me yet. Gonna miss working with that idiot."
Shelton and Levine are the only two The Voice coaches who have remained with the show for all of its seasons thus far; during his tenure, contestants from Levine's team won three times. In a lengthy Instagram post, the Maroon 5 frontman explains that, for him, his departure simply means that it was "time to move on," and offers his gratitude to a number of those involved with the show, Shelton included.
"BLAKE F--KIN’ SHELTON. I couldn’t hide my love for you if I tried. Seriously. I tried. Can’t do it," Levine writes. "Our friendship is and always will be one for the books. Whatever this whole surreal experience was, I'm just happy I got to experience it with you. You’re my brother for life."
In Levine's place, The Voice has re-hired Gwen Stefani -- who also happens to be Shelton's girlfriend -- as its fourth coach for Season 17. She previously coached on The Voice in Season 9 and Season 12; in fact, she and Shelton began their relationship, in the fall of 2015, after meeting on the show.
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.
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