Blake Shelton has created quite a legacy on NBC’s The Voice. Not only is he the longest-running co-star on the popular reality TV competition series, but he is also the winningest coach having added 8 total victories to his name since the show debuted back in 2011.
So it’s hard to imagine what the sing-off series will be like when the country crooner turns his red chair around for the last time. That, of course, won’t happen yet as Shelton, 46, is currently in the midst of adding to his winning streak on the current season of The Voice.
But even though he is still on the show, his celebrity co-stars have been processing the news of his impending departure, including his wife Gwen Stefani.
Speaking with Entertainment Tonight while at The 2022 Matrix Awards in New York City on Wednesday, (Oct. 26), where she was on hand to accept an award, Stefani opened up about Shelton’s plans to move on from The Voice.
The former frontwoman of No Doubt, 53, admitted that while she couldn’t be more excited to see how things unfold for her husband, she wasn’t quite prepared to learn about his upcoming exit on The Voice.
“It’s so weird Blake Shelton is leaving The Voice. I wasn’t ready, you know what I mean?” Stefani, who initially met and subsequently struck up a romance with Shelton on the show, said. “I have to figure out who this new Blake’s gonna be.”
“I’m just so proud of him,” she added.
With Shelton’s future hanging in the balance, Stefani is right by his side helping him make a smooth transition off the program. And so is Carson Daly, who hosts The Voice.
In fact, Shelton and Daly are on tap to both star and executive produce a new game show called Barmageddon. The concept of the show will find the two watching as their celebrity friends compete in over-the-top bar games. And best of all, Stefani will be there for at least one of the episodes.
“I’m gonna be on one of the [episodes]. I think I was his guinea pig,” Stefani joked of the show, which takes place at Shelton’s Nashville bar, Ole Red. “I was the first episode, me and Sheryl Crow. It’s a fun show. [It’s] completely different from The Voice. I mean, it’s literally just people hanging out and doing games in a bar, so right up Blake’s alley.”
Shelton’s upcoming role on the new show may be different from the one he’s on right now. But perhaps it will help ease fans into a new era for the “Nobody But You” singer.
“He’s brought so much joy. He’s so talented,” Stefani said of Shelton’s impact on The Voice. “I know people just wait around to laugh and watch him on TV, so I feel sorry for everybody [that] he’s gonna be gone.”
In the meantime, fans can look forward to Shelton continuing his role as a coach through season 23 of The Voice. The upcoming season of the show will find Shelton serving as a coach alongside Kelly Clarkson, Niall Horan, and Chance the Rapper.
Barmageddon, hosted by WWE star Nikki Bella, premieres Monday, Dec. 5 at 11 p.m. ET/PT on the USA Network.
