Blake Shelton spent over 20 seasons on The Voice. He was one of the original coaches when the show debuted in 2011 and remained on for 23 consecutive seasons. He was not only the show’s longest-running coach, but its winningest. Though the series did wonders for his career, Shelton was ready to leave. He said he began to feel incredibly burnt out at the end of his time as a coach.

Blake Shelton left ‘The Voice’ in 2023

When Shelton left The Voice in 2023, he said he hoped to focus on being a stepfather to Gwen Stefani’s three sons. The couple met on the show and married in 2021.

“I think being a stepdad has changed my perspective in that I’m not the first person that I think about anymore,” he told Access Hollywood. “Even to the small little things when you go, ‘I think I’ll do this,’ the very next thought is always, ‘Well, wait a minute. How’s that going work?’ Or, ‘What will they think?’ Or, ‘How will that affect a schedule?’” 

The Voice demanded so much of his time that he didn’t think he could be fully dedicated to his family while on it.

“I think the only way for me to really do that right is to step away from being committed to something like The Voice that demands a lot of your time,” he said. “There’s no way around it. If you’re going to do it and do it right, you have to be 150 percent in. And I just feel like those days are behind me for now. I got a more important job.” 

He said he felt burnt out when he left the show

Shelton said that in 2023, he felt utterly worn out by the pace of his career. He felt grateful that he was working this much, but knew he needed to make a change.

“[T]o get burned out in this business, I think you got to be super lucky and blessed,” he told American Songwriter. “I have been, but at that point, it was like, ‘Golly, I just feel like I’d just been on this hamster wheel.’”

Trying to balance his music career with season after season of The Voice left him exhausted. Once he exited the show, he wanted to spend some time doing nothing.

“For a few years there, I was having a pretty hot streak in country music, and I happened to also be on the No. 1 television show at the same time,” he said. “Trying to bounce back and be sure you don’t lose momentum in this lane, but you have to do this job. You signed up to do it. And eventually, it did do a number on me.”

He was thrilled to pass on the torch to another coach.

“If I can’t even be happy being able to be lucky enough to do this, it is time for someone else to have this chair,” he said. “I think Reba took my spot.”

‘The Voice’ wanted Blake Shelton to join for its most recent season

After nearly two years away, Shelton could have joined The Voice for its 29th season. Series executives reportedly wanted him on with returning judge Adam Lambert. The pair’s playful banter was a feature of the first several seasons.

“They offered both Blake and Adam more money, a lot more, to get them back together and do a season together,” a source told The U.S. Sun. “Obviously, it didn’t work out for season 29, but stay tuned — it might happen sooner than later. It’d be a win/win for production and the fans. Their chemistry is unmatched.”

At this point, though, Shelton seems content as a casual viewer, not a coach.