In May, fans of NBC’s singing competition series The Voice were stunned when coach Adam Levine announced he would not be returning for the show’s 17th season. The Maroon 5 frontman had coached all 16 seasons prior, and had three wins under his belt.
“For me, it was time to move on,” Levine wrote in a long social media statement addressing his departure from the show.
Alongside his statement, Levine shared a photo of an old Rolling Stone cover featuring the original coaching lineup. In addition to Levine, country superstar Blake Shelton has been with the show from the start, while coaches Christina Aguilera and CeeLo Green eventually left.
While Green left the show for good following season five, Aguilera appeared on the show off and on for some time, with her last season being Season 10.
In a 2018 interview with People, Aguilera addressed her reason for leaving the show, saying:
“I originally took the seat on The Voice because it kept me in a little bit of a more grounded position for my children. But after a certain amount of time, of course, the artist in me was like, ‘I have to evolve!‘”
So while the coaches who worked alongside Levine on Season 16 (Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, and John Legend) were shocked when he shared he was going to quit, Aguilera understands where he’s coming from.
In a new interview with Access Hollywood, Aguilera said she “wasn’t surprised” her “Moves Like Jagger” duet partner decided to leave the show.
“I think there’s always a time and a place, especially as an artist, you know, getting back into your creative mode and out of that kind of environment is important,” she said. She added, “I actually gained some respect with that decision. It’s good to follow your heart.”
You can watch Aguilera’s full interview about Levine’s departure from The Voice below.
While Aguilera may not have been surprised by Levine’s choice to leave the show, we sure were! We bet many of y’all were shocked as well.
