Share and Follow
Blake Shelton has stepped away from The Voice after an impressive 23-season run. The country music star explained that his departure had been on his mind for some time, and he is thrilled to now have more opportunities to spend with his family. Although Shelton has expressed no current intention to return, he did hint at one possible exception: the show’s significant 30th season.
‘The Voice’ reportedly wants Blake Shelton back for its 30th season
As the much-anticipated 30th season of The Voice draws near, NBC is reportedly eager to entice Shelton back into his coaching chair. Having been an integral part of the show since its inception, Shelton’s involvement is highly valued, especially with Adam Levine making a comeback to the coaching panel.
“For season 30, they want to make a grand statement since it’s a milestone year,” a source disclosed to the U.S. Sun. “The lineup is still being finalized, with production for the 30th season not kicking off until late spring or early summer 2026. There’s ample time for adjustments, and season 29 is still ahead. However, producers are determined to secure a deal to reunite Blake and Adam, a pairing they’ve long desired, and they believe season 30 is the perfect opportunity.”
In addition to Shelton and Levine, there are talks of bringing Kelly Clarkson and Gwen Stefani back into the fold as well. However, this ensemble cast won’t come together easily.
“The biggest hurdle is getting Blake and Gwen on board again, which will likely be costly for the show,” the source revealed. “Plus, scheduling Kelly for consecutive seasons poses a challenge given her hectic timetable and recent tough year. There are many factors to juggle, but the producers are keen on making it all happen.”
“The biggest challenge is getting Blake and Gwen back at all, it’s most likely going to cost the show a fortune to make that happen,” the source said. “And also booking Kelly on back-to-back seasons with her busy schedule and tough year. A lot of moving parts but they want to make it work.”
At this point, nothing is official, though.
Blake Shelton shared the only way he’d return to ‘The Voice’
Shelton has already shared the only scenario that would get him to return to the show. After exiting, he said he felt good about the decision. Still, he would come back if the original judges all did too.
“If they were ever able to put together the original four coaches again, maybe [I’d return] for one season, a one-off,” he told Entertainment Tonight. “That would be fun for me… That would be something I would be interested in doing.”
Shelton, Levine, Christina Aguilera, and CeeLo Green were the show’s original judges. Of the original four, only Levine is on the show right now.
He once said he stayed on the show for too long
Shelton is The Voice’s longest-running judge. He said he never intended to stay for as long as he did.
“To be totally honest about it, I wasn’t even planning on being there that long,” Shelton said on The Jennifer Hudson Show (per Rolling Stone). “I was planning on wrapping it up around 20 or 21 seasons, and then obviously COVID hit, and then I didn’t want to walk out on the show in the middle of COVID, and them trying to scramble and figure out [what to do].”
He said that while he liked his time on the show, he didn’t exactly miss it when he left.
“So, I stayed,” he said. “I didn’t have anything to do anyway, so I stayed a little bit longer. But I stayed too long for me to now miss it, I can promise you that.”