Adam Levine finally reacted to Blake Shelton’s exit from The Voice, and we’re not at all surprised by what he said.
While enjoying the Vanity Fair Oscars party on Sunday night, the Maroon 5 frontman took a moment to talk to ET. When the publication mentioned that this is Shelton’s final season with the series, Levine had a typical snarky response.
“It’s about time,” he joked.
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Adam Levine sat opposite Blake Shelton on The Voice for 16 seasons. Both of the singers joined the series during Season 1, and they built a legendary repertoire that consisted of constant sh** talk and major competitive spirit.
Shelton, however, beat Levine more often than not. The country music star has coached nine winners while Levine has coached three. Fortunately, their onscreen and behind-the-scenes banter is friendly, and the two have remained friends despite no longer working together.
Blake Shelton Announces His ‘The Voice’ Exit
Blake Shelton announced his The Voice retirement last October through a heartfelt Instagram post. He admitted that the choice was difficult, but he ultimately needed to move on with his career.
“I’ve been wrestling with this for a while,” he wrote. “And I’ve decided that it’s time for me to step away from The Voice after season 23,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “This show has changed my life in every way for the better and it will always feel like home to me.”
Shelton later shared on The Today Show that he had been on the fence about the exit for a few years, and he almost left in 2020. But because COVID threw a wrench in the entertainment business, he didn’t want to “leave everyone in a bind.” So, he stuck around longer.
Blake Shelton Says Life ‘Isn’t Anout’ Him Anymore
In the months that followed his initial announcement, Blake Shelton further explained his decision and said that his family was a major factor. Shelton and his former The Voice coach, Gwen Stefani, are newly married, and he became a stepfather to her three children. With his already booked professional life, he needed to take something off his plate to carve out more time for them.
“Gwen and I have done so much traveling and touring and work the first half of our lives that now we’re like, ‘Hey, I’m good to put my sweatpants on at 6 p.m. and watch Ozark eight times,'” he told PEOPLE in December 2022. “That’s our life now, and we love it.”
“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. For now, that’s our kids,” he added. “This isn’t about me anymore and never will be again.”