After 16 seasons, one of the Voice's OG coaches is officially saying goodbye to the hit show.
Host Carson Daly made the surprise announcement on the Today show on Friday, May 24. “He’ll always be a cherished member of the Voice family,” Daly said and described Levine as “inspiring many of the artists who he worked so closely with over the years” and a "beloved coach and friend."
Levine was one of the original judges when the show launched in 2011, along with Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera, and Cee Lo Green. Over the years his bromance—or, rather, frenemy relationship—with Shelton became one of the staples of the show, and they have remained the only two judges to appear in every season.
But Levin's replacement also has a connection to Shelton: Daly announced that Shelton's girlfriend Gwen Stefani will be back to take Levine's spot in the upcoming seventeenth season. (John Legend and Kelly Clarkson will also return, according to People.)
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On Instagram, Levine wrote a long statement about his departure. "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," he wrote in the caption. "We had no idea what we were doing or where it was going."
He went on to describe how quickly the show made an impact. "After the first day of shooting, I sat there, stunned. I said to myself 'There's some magic here. Something is definitely happening.' It went on to be a life shaping experience that will be close to my heart forever," he wrote.
He continued, "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."
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Of course, he couldn't end the post without a nod to Shelton. "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, I'm just happy I got to experience it with you," he wrote. "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."
Levine's fellow judges soon weighed in on the big move on social media. Shelton's Twitter response was very on brand, of course. "Having a hard time wrapping my head around @adamlevine not being at @NBCTheVoice anymore," he wrote. "After 16 seasons that changed both of our lives. I only found out about this yesterday and it hasn’t set in on me yet. Gonna miss working with that idiot."
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"Found out last night about @adamlevine leaving The Voice & while I get that he’s been doing the show 4 a while & wants to step away, it will be weird showing up 4 work & he’s not there 👀," Clarkson tweeted. "To start an amazing show from the ground up is a big deal!"
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It's hard to imagine the show without Levine, but we're keeping our fingers crossed for a guest appearance or two. Perhaps to help out his buddy and once-rival Shelton's team? And maybe this means a new Maroon Five album will be in the works too?
Whatever the case, we're happy to see Stefani return to the fold.
