Blake Shelton’s return to ‘The Voice’ dependent on this dream scenario
It'd take a couple of arms and legs to get Blake Shelton back as a coach on NBC's "The Voice," but the country star says he'd do it, if all the stars aligned.
In a recent conversation with Entertainment Tonight, Shelton reflected on his choice to leave the show last year after 23 seasons, admitting that as time passes, he feels more confident in his decision.
"Every day feels a little bit better," he said of the departure. "I feel better about that decision."
BLAKE SHELTON DITCHES 'THE VOICE' TO FOCUS ON PARENTING WITH GWEN STEFANI: 'I TAKE THAT JOB VERY SERIOUSLY'
But there are elements of "The Voice" that Shelton acknowledges have been difficult to say goodbye to. "I miss the people. I mean, those people became like family to me, literally from the crew all up to the producers of the show. I was with them more than I was with my family," he shared. "I miss that," while adding he doesn't "miss the job at all."
"I totally needed a break from [the job], because if I wasn't into it then it wasn't good for whoever was on my team," he said of exiting the show. "I don't want to be someone who's just going through the motions. Those artists need somebody fighting for them."
Shelton still holds the record for most wins by a coach, having won nine different seasons.
"The second I started feeling like, 'Oh, my gosh, I don't even remember what season this is anymore. Who are the coaches on this season?' [I knew that] I needed [to get] away from here," he said, although Shelton left the show when wife Gwen Stefani was still a coach.
After announcing his exit, Shelton admitted that he'd been itching to leave for a while.
"I think I was close to calling it a day right when COVID hit. And then because of COVID, I didn't want to walk away from the show, and leave everybody in a bind. I mean, this show changed my life," he admitted to "Today" host Carson Daly, who also hosts "The Voice," in February 2023.
But Shelton says there is a scenario that would intrigue him enough to return. "If they were ever able to put together the original four coaches again, maybe [I'd return] for one season, a one-off," he shared.
"That would be fun for me... That would be something I would be interested in doing," he said of reuniting with CeeLo Green, Christina Aguilera and Adam Levine.
Maroon 5 frontman Levine left the show after 16 seasons, while Aguilera and Green's tenures were much shorter.
The 25th season of "The Voice" is currently airing, with coaches Reba McEntire, John Legend, Chance the Rapper and Dan + Shay.