Adam Levine to Depart NBC’s ‘The Voice’ After 16 Seasons

Adam Levine is not returning as a coach for the next season of NBC’s The Voice. The Maroon 5 singer revealed the news on Friday, bidding farewell with a lengthy, heartfelt Instagram post.

“We had no idea what we were doing or where it was going,” he wrote. “It went on to be a life shaping experience that will be close to my heart forever.”

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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

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Levine and his friendly nemesis Blake Shelton anchored the show as coaches since its launch in 2011, a first season that also featured Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green. Two of the coaching seats have regularly rotated out to include Alicia Keys, John Legend, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson and Shakira, among others, but the brotherly friendship and competition between Levine and Shelton has been a central feature of the show throughout its run.

“It hasn’t set in yet,” Shelton tweeted. “Gonna miss working with that idiot.”

The show just ended its 16th season on Tuesday, with soulful singer Maelyn Jarmon giving coach John Legend a victory in his rookie season. Levine departs The Voice having coached three champions (Shelton has coached six), the most recent of which was Jordan Smith in Season 9. For the 17th season, Levine’s seat will be filled by pop star Gwen Stefani — a coach on seasons 7, 9 and 12 as well as Shelton’s girlfriend — along with Shelton, Legend and Clarkson.

Levine will have plenty to keep him occupied in the meantime. Maroon 5, which headlined Super Bowl LIII in February, will be on tour in Europe through August. Levine has also signed on as Executive Producer of NBC’s upcoming reality competition Songland, which premieres May 28th.

via:: Rolling Stone