The Voice star quit the show after 23 seasons, Blake Shelton announced in October that the 23rd season of The Voice would be his last so he can spend more time with his wife, Gwen Stefani, and his stepsons, Kingston, 16, Zuma, 14, and Apollo, nine.
However, Gwen appears to have made Blake’s wish to spend more time at home with his family that much more difficult after she made the surprising announcement on Monday that she has signed up to be a coach on The Voice once again and will reclaim her seat in the big red chair in the fall.
This is the ‘Hollaback Girl’ singer’s seventh time as a coach, having last been on the chair in season 22. Her stint on the show also sparked the romance between her and Blake, culminating in their 2021 Oklahoma wedding.
Gwen’s news seemingly came as a surprise to Blake too, as he had a strong reaction when Extra’s Melvin Robert said he thought Blake and Gwen would be spending more time together after he left the show. “I did too damn it…” Blake exclaimed ahead of The Voice’s live top eight semi-final performances.
“You know Gwen’s got a lot of reasons to keep coming back to The Voice. First and foremost, I know she absolutely loves this job and she’s always excited and a little bit shocked when they call and ask her and invite her to come back again. I’m going, ‘Why? Why are you surprised by this? Of course, they want you.'”
He went on: “She’s just very passionate about music and she’s passionate about working. I don’t know anybody that finds ways to stay as busy as she does and it’s impressive and that’s why she’s been so successful… me on the other hand, I’m ready to watch some TV.”
Blake also shared his reaction to country superstar Reba McEntire joining the show for its 24th season, which will also feature returning coaches Niall Horan and John Legend, who served as a coach from seasons 16-22.
“Well, there’s a couple of things about Reba that make her so special,” he told Extra. “First of all, she’s just so authentic. I don’t know anybody country or on the planet [more authentic than] Reba and that’s just the truth, but the other thing is her talent, and she was born with this raw natural talent that’s just unbelievable.
“People will finally maybe start to realize what an incredible vocalist she is. I shouldn’t say that, millions of us already know that but so many more people are going to realize what an incredible vocalist she is because she’s going to, as a coach on this show, perform at times, you know, and it’s just shocking what an incredible singer she is.”
As for what Blake will miss about his time on the ABC show, he said: “Just all the friendships. The people that you see on camera that I’ve become friends with… but so many friends that I’ve made even more behind the scenes. I just won’t see them much anymore and some of them maybe ever again just knowing how this business goes you know so that’s a tough reality.
“But we all have to kind of move on and do what we got to do. This isn’t a career choice this is just a life choice for me and it’s just, it’s time for what’s next.”