Blake Shelton Makes Stunning Comments About ‘The Voice’

In May 2025, country superstar Blake Shelton returned to his old stomping grounds at “The Voice” to perform his latest single, “Texas,” on the season 27 finale. But he has zero interest in returning to his former role as a coach on the NBC show.

Shelton has been open about how burnt out he was after coaching on “The Voice” for 23 consecutive seasons, which led to him leaving in May 2023. But in a June 5 interview with ABC Audio, the singer was stunningly honest about whether he’d ever return, declaring, “I do not miss that job” and that it had “taken over” his life.

Blake Shelton Says He’s Having ‘More Fun Than I’ve Had in Years’

While appearing at the 60th annual ACM Awards in May, Shelton told ABC Audio that he thinks devoting his time and energy to “The Voice” for so long kept him from focusing on his music career and caused him to miss many industry events with his peers, including the ACMs.

In fact, running into season 27 coach Kelsea Ballerini backstage reminded him he made the right decision.

“For 12 years I was a coach on ‘The Voice’ and we were filming two seasons a year,” he told ABC Audio. “And funny, I just saw Kelsea walking around in here, and she’s got my old seat now. And as much as I miss my friends and family that work at that show, I do not miss that job.”

“It had taken over, you know, for sure,” Shelton continued. “And that’s the reason I wasn’t around as much, because even if my schedule did work out, the last thing I wanted to go do is something else, you know?”

“It got just to be too much,” he says. “And now I’ve had a couple of years off and I’m just really enjoying stepping back into this role again, and being a part of the music industry again. It’s a lot of fun.”  

Shelton echoed that statement to Audacy Music, explaining, “I’m having a lot more fun than I’ve had in years of doing this because I’m back to just one job and that’s being a country singer, and not all the TV stuff. And it’s a blast, it really is.”

Blake Shelton Landed His 30th Number 1 Country Hit in May With ‘Texas’

Although Shelton may feel like being on “The Voice” kept him from focusing on his music, he still managed to release chart-topping songs along the way. “Texas” became his 30th number-one country hit in early May, per Music Row.

When the song topped the chart, Shelton pointed out, in a press release sent to EntertainmentNow, that it was his first solo number one in several years, and that reaching that milestone on his own was a thrill.

“I’ve always been a nerd for stats and things like that in country music,” he said. “I’m always looking up artists’ stats, whether it’s Ronnie Milsap or Alabama or George Strait or Reba, and just to see how many albums they’ve sold or how many number one songs they’ve had, and because of that, the idea of me having 30 number one singles, it blows my mind.”

“I can’t even wrap my head around it,” he continued, “because I know how long it takes to get there and how hard it is, and how blessed and lucky you have to be to get here. Thirty is a lot of anything, and to have 30 number one songs is unbelievable, and I’m really trying to take it all in. I have to thank the fans and the industry for their support throughout these years.”