When Adam Levine announced that he would not be returning to coach The Voice for its 17th season, longtime viewers were shocked. Levine had been with the show since its inception, and was one of its most successful coaches. During his time on the show, he coached three contestants to victory and led many more to the finals.
His fellow coaches were just as stunned by the news. His frenemy and other longtime coach, Blake Shelton, took to Twitter to express his shock, writing, “I only found out about this yesterday and it hasn’t set in on me yet.”
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.
— Blake Shelton (@blakeshelton) May 24, 2019
The show quickly found a replacement, enlisting the help of three-time coach Gwen Stefani to fill Levine’s chair. It just so happens that Stefani was also Shelton’s girlfriend (and now they’re married), so her addition to the show helped him cope with Levine’s departure.
When Season 17’s pre-taped portion started, Shelton opened up about what it was like without Levine on set. As he told PopCulture.com and other media, he missed his best bud, but having Stefani there made things better:
“It’s kind of a juggling act, so having her there, selfishly for me, made me happy, and I think it kind of saved the show with Adam going away,” Shelton said. “Because there’s no way around it, it sucks not having Adam there.”
Without Levine, Shelton was forced to entertain the possibility that another one of his favorite Voice co-workers may leave the show.
But it’s not what you’re thinking. Shelton wasn’t concerned about Stefani’s fate as a coach. Rather, he’s worried about someone else, and this person isn’t even a coach.
You see, other than Shelton and Levine, the only other person that was (and still is!) around for all seasons of The Voice is its host, Carson Daly. Over the years, Shelton and Daly have developed a strong bond, which is why Shelton said he would be distraught if Daly ever left.
“It would freak me out if Carson left; we were the three that have been there all along, and it’s just odd to be honest with you,” Shelton said.
Thankfully, Daly signed on to participate in Season 17 and beyond. However, Shelton is leaving after Season 23…which means Daly will be the last original member of the Voice team left on the show.
We too, would be upset if Daly ever left the show. He helps hold the whole thing together!