Adam Levine Throws Shade at Blake Shelton, Says It’s “About Time” For Him to Exit ‘The Voice’

By Raven Brunner Twitter @raventbrunner
Published March 15, 2023, 10:25 a.m. ET

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Adam Levine has reignited his old feud with Blake Shelton. The Maroon 5 singer is feeling underwhelmed by the country star’s exit from The Voice after over a decade as a coach. 

Levine and Shelton were OG coaches of the NBC singing competition, which premiered in 2011. They worked alongside CeeLo Green and Christina Aguilera. Since the show’s debut, three of the initial coaches have exited, leaving Shelton as the last original judge.  

Last October, Shelton announced that he will be stepping down from his role as a coach after Season 23, which is now airing on the network. Levine, who left the series in 2019 after 16 seasons, is now commenting on Shelton’s exit.

Entertainment Tonight reports that they caught up with Shelton’s former competition outside of the Vanity Fair Oscars party on Sunday (March 12). When they asked Levine for his thoughts on the country singer’s exit, he said, “It’s about time!” 

The two famously feuded on The Voice due to the nature of the competition and Shelton’s winning streak. In 2021, rumors of a real rivalry sparked when it was revealed that Levine wasn’t invited to Shelton’s wedding to Gwen Stefani, who has coached on the series for six nonconsecutive seasons. The following year, a source told RadarOnline that the two coaches no longer talk in real life and speculated that their relationship was “exaggerated for TV.” 

In addition to Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper are serving as coaches for the current season. Clarkson commented on Shelton’s legendary run ahead of the premiere of the latest season, telling NBC Insider, “I actually have been talking to Blake a bit about this being his last season. And I’m like, ‘It’s not gonna hit you until afterwards. It’s gonna hit you. It’s been a part of your life for so long. And it’s gonna hit you after.'”

She added, “He is the ultimate coach on this show. Everybody knows that. He’s won the most, and he, honest to God, helps the artists afterwards. And it’s an incredible thing that he’s done for so many artists. It’s a loss for The Voice.“

The Voice airs Mondays at 8/7c and Tuesdays at 9/8c on NBC.