At least one individual isn’t devastated by Blake Shelton’s exit from The Voice.
At the Vanity Fair Oscars party on Sunday night, ET talked with the country music star’s favorite frenemy and former fellow coach, Adam Levine, about his plans to leave the NBC singing competition after the current 23rd season.
Adam joked, “It’s about time!” when asked how he felt about Blake’s departure from the program.
For 16 seasons, Adam and Blake stood on opposing sides of The Voice’s rotating coaches’ chairs till Blake, lead singer of Maroon 5, quit the program in 2019. While Blake and Kelly’s witty back-and-forth was unparalleled, Kelly Clarkson has taken over in subsequent seasons as the friendly competitor to Blake’s reign.
ET met with the coaches of the upcoming 23rd season, including Blake, Kelly, and newcomers Chance the Rapper and Niall Horan, before the premiere, and they were all ecstatic to be a part of the program for The Cowboy’s last season.
In her words, “I texted him.” Kelly disclosed. “I wanted to make sure I was there if he was going to complete a last season,” she said.
The talk show presenter, however, emphasized that she would not allow her fond memories of the past to dampen her competitive spirit.
“If [Blake] wins, I am extremely pleased for him, since it is incredibly fantastic to win on the last season and he is the program, from its creation,” she said. “In any case, I’m not pulling for him to triumph. I hope he succeeds, but I must admit that my goal is to succeed myself.”
When asked about taking on Team Blake’s dynasty, new coaches Niall and Chance claimed they were prepared to put in the effort.
It’s been great, Chance commented after his first episode. “Kelly has been so kind and considerate. Besides, Blake has arrived.”
