Adam Levine Leaves ‘The Voice’ After 16 Seasons

Cynthia Littleton

After 16 seasons on “The Voice,” Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine will not be returning to a coach’s chair when the NBC singing competition series begins its 17th edition in the fall.

Levine has been a coach on the show since its inception in 2011. He will be replaced next season by Gwen Stefani. “Voice” host Carson Daly announced the switch Friday morning on NBC News’ “Today.”

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Daly noted that “Voice” fans would probably miss the “frenemy” relationship that Levine has built up over the years with fellow coach Blake Shelton. Contestants coached by Levine have gone all the way on “Voice” three times during his tenure, Daly noted.

Levine addressed his departure in a lengthy Instagram post, writing, “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.”

View this post on Instagram

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. ❤️ We had no idea what we were doing or where it was going. After the first day of shooting, I sat there, stunned. I said to myself “theres some magic here. Something is definitely happening.” It went on to be a life shaping experience that will be close to my heart forever. 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. 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, Im just happy I got to experience it with you. 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. ❤️ Adam

A post shared by Adam Levine (@adamlevine) on May 24, 2019 at 8:12am PDT

Maroon 5 and Levine had a big showcase in February as the musical act in the Super Bowl Halftime Show, although the performance was marred by controversy surrounding the NFL and its stance toward former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and his decision in 2016 to kneel during the performance of the National Anthem. Maroon 5 came under criticism for what many perceived as an implicit endorsement of the NFL’s treatment of Kaepernick, who has effectively been blackballed from the league over his stance. The performance, which also featured rappers Travis Scott and Big Boi, took place without major incident, albeit to tepid reviews.

Stefani was previously a coach on the show in 2014 and 2015. The No Doubt frontwoman is dating Shelton, who she met through her stints on “Voice.” Shelton has also been with the show since the U.S. edition bowed in April 2011.

NBC’s stalwart unscripted franchise has had numerous changes of coaches around Levine and Shelton over its long run. The most recent edition featured John Legend and Kelly Clarkson joining Levine and Shelton. NBC earlier this month announced that foursome as returning for the fall, which meant Levine’s decision to leave came as a surprise.

“Voice” has seen its viewership ebb some in recent years but it remains in primetime’s top 25 in adults 18-49. Both its Monday and Tuesday editions this past season averaged more than 10 million viewers.

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