Adam Levine leaving ‘The Voice’

Levine has been on the show since day one

Adam Levine is leaving NBC’s The Voice after 16 seasons. The Maroon 5 frontman made the surprising announcement Friday morning (May 24th), following the Season 16 finale earlier this week.

“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 ‘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 shares.

He continues, “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.

“Four 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, I’m 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.”

Shelton is sad Levine is leaving, but pokes fun of their brotherhood.

“Having a hard time wrapping my head around @adamlevine not being at @NBCTheVoice anymore. After 16 seasons that changed both of ours lives. I only found out about this yesterday and it hasn’t set in on me yet. Gonna miss working with that idiot,” he tweets.

Returning coach Kelly Clarkson was also surprised by the news. She writes, “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. To start an amazing show from the ground up is a big deal!”

Host Carson Daly announced the news during an entertainment segment on NBC’s Today Friday morning stating it was Levine’s decision to leave. NBC shares, “Our friend and coach Adam Levine made the decision not to return next season. We’re going to miss Adam, but The Voice is family and with family it’s always ‘see you soon,’ never ‘goodbye.'”

Levine and Shelton are the only two original Coaches who have been on the show since day one. They were joined by Cee Lo Green and Christina Aguilera as celebrity coaches who vied for their favorite unknown singers. Levine was initially announced to return for season 17 with Shelton, John Legend and Kelly Clarkson, but changed his mind. Shelton’s girlfriend Gwen Stefani will replace Levine after serving as a coach in seasons seven, nine and 12.

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn

Buddy Iahn founded The Music Universe when he decided to juxtapose his love of web design and music. As a lifelong drummer, he decided to take a hiatus from playing music to report it. The website began as a fun project in 2013 to one of the top independent news sites. Email: info@themusicuniverse.com