The Voice season 17: Kelly Clarkson on Adam Levine exit

Last week, the news took the internet by storm that Adam Levine was leaving The Voice after sixteen seasons on the air. It’s still a hard thing to imagine, mostly because he’s been there from the beginning and he is iconic to the overall brand of the show.

Yet, the show must go on and it will go on — and it will. Moving forward into season 17, you’re going to have a chance to see Gwen Stefani take over and handle Adam’s chair. She’s been there before — it’s not that radical of a change, but it’s still something that is a little bit different for the world of this show. It’s an experiment, but one that is required. If Adam wants to leave, it’s hard to conjure up a reason for him to stay. He’s already got plenty of money so, clearly, that is not an issue.

For some more discussion on The Voice and the future of the show, be sure to check out the latest below! Meanwhile, remember to subscribe to CarterMatt on YouTube for more, and also check out our official The Voice playlist.

We’ve already heard from one other coach in Blake Shelton, who spoke about the friendship that he and Adam formed over the years. As for Kelly Clarkson, she made it clear via Extra that she understands some of where Adam is coming from at the moment:

 “It was kind of a shocking thing … But I kind of get it. He’s been doing it for eight years — that’s a long time. He’s got a couple kids. Still has a career. Still touring. It’s a very rigorous schedule fitting everything in.”

Ultimately, though, we don’t get a sense that Adam left because of his schedule. Instead, we feel like the biggest reason he’s departing is due to the new changes at the show, including the Cross Battle twist that devastated his team. We just feel like this new iteration of the show didn’t really offer a lot for him as a mentor and if he’s on the show, he wants to be actively involved. He wants to mentor and we get that. Adam may have wanted more skin in the game, and ultimately we’re not sure that The Voice could offer that to him anymore.

The bad news for Adam is that even if he did come back, we’re not sure that his team would’ve done any better. It’s strange that so much of Adam’s legacy can be defined by a single moment, but there are a lot of viewers who don’t seem to be moving past the whole Reagan Strange – DeAndre Nico moment from season 15. That’s one that has really lingered for a lot of people.

For some more news on The Voice…

Head over here to check out our piece on what the coaching panel SHOULD be after what we’re getting this season.

Do you think that Adam Levine could return to The Voice at some point in the future? Be sure to share in the comments. (Photo: NBC.)