Gwen Stefani Misses Blake Shelton 'So Bad' on 'The Voice'
Blake Shelton announced plans to leave his post as a judge on The Voice for the first time in October 2022, and made his exit official earlier this year. His wife, singer Gwen Stefani, is still on the show, however—and now she's opening up about how filming is different without her husband there with her.
Stefani told Today, "It's really different being on the show without him. I miss him so bad on the show. But at the same time, it hasn't been as hard as I thought it was going to be because I think he was just so ready to have a break."
Related: All About Gwen Stefani's Family Life
This time around, Stefani is joined by John Legend, Niall Horan, and country superstar Reba McEntire.
Shelton explained his plans to retire from the show in an Instagram post, where he wrote in part, "I've been wrestling with this for a while and I've decided that it's time for me to step away from The Voice after Season 23. This show has changed my life in every way for the better and it will always feel like home to me."
"It's been a hell of a ride over these 12 years of chair turns and I want to thank everyone at The Voice from NBC, every producer, the writers, musicians, crew and catering people, you are the best," he added.
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Shelton didn't leave the team at The Voice hanging, and was even instrumental in bringing McEntire onto the show as his replacement. After stopping by as a Battle Advisor for Shelton in Season 1, she returned last year as the Mega Mentor for all the teams on the show.
Related: Inside Blake Shelton's Net Worth and How Much He Made on 'The Voice'
McEntire explained to NBC Insider, "I'd gotten to do it before with Blake [as a Mega Mentor and Battle Advisor]. When we were filming with Blake's team [in Season 23], he said, 'You really ought to come on and do this. You'd have fun.' He was really encouraging me to do it."
Season 24 of The Voice will premiere on Sept. 25, 2023.
