Adam Levine is leaving "The Voice" after 16 seasons as a coach.
The NBC show's host, Carson Daly, made the announcement on the "Today" show Friday morning.
"After 16 seasons, Adam Levine, our beloved coach and friend, has decided to leave ‘The Voice.’ Adam was one of the original coaches that launched the show, winning the competition three times and inspiring many of the artists that he worked so closely with over the years … He’ll always be a cherished member of the ‘Voice’ family and, of course, we wish him nothing but the best," Daly said (via the Post).
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Levine joined the show as a coach when it first aired in 2011, along with country singer Blake Shelton, CeeLo Green and pop sensation Christina Aguilera.
Per Daly, Gwen Stefani, who has been a coach on the show for several seasons on and off, is returning for Season 17 as Levine's replacement. She joins John Legend, Kelly Clarkson and her boyfriend, Shelton.
Levine shared his reason for exiting the show in a lengthy Instagram post.
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 F--KIN’ 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.
Shelton, who often tiffs with Levine on the show, posted on Twitter: "Gonna miss working with that idiot."