Why Adam Levine left The Voice; see his, Blake Shelton’s messages

Typically, the day before Memorial Day Weekend is not the day you get enormous news — unless, of course, it’s the sad kind that networks try to bury heading into a long three days where people will forget about it. Adam Levine leaving The Voice is something that simply can’t be buried. Regardless of whether or not you love him, it remains true that he is one of the most important parts of the show. He, Blake Shelton, and Carson Daly are the only three people to appear on every season, and beyond the initial premise, the Adam/Blake bromance/feud/whatever you want to call it has been one of the show’s primary selling points.

So why is Adam leaving now, especially after it being previously announced that he would be a part of season 17? Per a report from TVLine, there was tension between Levine and network brass that seemed to stem ultimately from the new Cross-Battles twist this season, which effectively left Adam’s team MIA for the entire semifinals and beyond this season. Because of the way the public voted, there wasn’t anything left for him to do other than to offer up some feedback on some performances. There was also reportedly tension over Adam’s appearance and performance at an upfront event earlier this month. Ultimately, no matter the reason, it seems as though Adam decided that rather than continue forward with the show, he wanted to move on — hence, the change of heart and the announcement this morning on The Today Show.

For more video content on The Voice right now, check out our take on Adam’s exit below! Meanwhile, remember to subscribe to CarterMatt on YouTube for some other information, and also view our The Voice playlist. That’s the top way to ensure you don’t miss any other updates.

To go along with all of this, Adam also released the following statement via his Instagram:

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—IN’ 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.

Could Adam return in the future?

Despite whatever friction may or may not have been there over the past few weeks, we don’t think that the door is ever completely closed, given that Adam does have a lot of fans — also, it seems that many of his former team members have come out in praise of Adam since the news of his departure was first announced. We know that there are a lot of cynical people out there who think that coaching on this show is an almost zero-effort gig, but we’ve frequently heard otherwise and that the coaches do generally try to help as much as possible. We know that some have supported their contestants even after the show.

We’ll have more news as it comes out, but for now, also check out Blake Shelton’s comment below — and share what you think about Adam’s exit from The Voice plus the news coming out as to why it’s going down. (Photo: NBC.)