Adam Levine Is Leaving “The Voice”

Terrible news for any future contestant of The Voice who was hoping for one of those red chairs swivel around and see the owner of California’s least-threatening bundle of tattoos staring back at them. Adam Levine, the only member of Maroon 5 you can name, has announced that he’s officially done with The Voice after sixteen seasons.

Along with Blake Shelton, Adam has been a coach on The Voice since its inception in 2011. The Voice returns for a seventeenth season on September 23, but Adam announced this morning on Instagram that he won’t be on it. He also did the world a favor by announcing his retirement with a throwback Rolling Stone cover featuring my second-favorite Christina Aguilera fashion era, Leggings and Louboutins (if you have to ask, first is obviously Dirrty).

 

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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 “theres some magic here. Something is definitely happening.” It went on to be a life shaping experience that will be close to my heart forever. 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. 4 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, Im 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. ❤️ Adam

A post shared by Adam Levine (@adamlevine) on May 24, 2019 at 8:12am PDT

I hope Adam never gets an Oscar, because his thank-you speech would easily put the show over five hours.

E! News says the news of Adam’s departure was also announced this morning by Carson Daly on the Today show. Carson killed any potential “Was he fired???” drama by saying it was Adam’s choice to leave. Carson adds that Adam will “always be cherished member of The Voice family” and that they “wish him nothing but the best.”

So what will The Voice do without the man with the Long Beach body and San Diego outlet mall voice? Adam’s vacant chair will be filled by former The Voice coach Gwen Stefani. I’ve got a feeling we’re on the brink of many, many more gag-making displays of sappy country-ish duets no one asked for, care of Gwen and Blake. First up, “Your Chair Don’t Spin (For Nobody’s Heart But Mine).”

Pic: NBC