Blake Shelton Talks About ‘Regrets’ in Deciding to Leave ‘The Voice’

Longtime “Voice” coach and country music superstar Blake Shelton has opened up about his decision to leave “The Voice” after 23 seasons, talking in a new interview with People about having regrets and what his plan is for when he’s done with the show.

Here’s what Shelton had to say:

Shelton is More Worried About Regretting Staying on ‘The Voice’ Than Regretting Leaving It

For his People cover story, Shelton did a lengthy video interview where he did a deep dive on his decision to call it quits from “The Voice” after the season that will air in spring 2023.

He said that at this point in his life, he doesn’t consider it a risk because the only thing he’s worried about is having regrets that he stayed instead of living life with his wife Gwen Stefani, whom he met on “The Voice,” and her three sons to whom Shelton is a step-father.

“I don’t think it’s a risk to leave the show. I don’t think [it’s a risk] if I walked away from my career at this point,” said Shelton. “The only thing that I run the risk of is having regrets and you don’t know what those are gonna be until you look back one day, but I feel like my regrets would be if I stayed on this path, that I am missing out on some more important things in life.”

He went on to talk about how having kids has completely changed him. While he’s not Stefani’s sons’ biological father, he takes his role as their step-dad very seriously.

“Having kids, it truly does make you go, ‘Oh, whoa, whoa, wait a minute. This isn’t about me anymore and it never will be again,'” said Shelton. “And if you don’t say that to yourself, I just think you’re only hurting yourself because you’re gonna miss out and you’ll regret it and deep down, you will.”

Shelton also said that he has “accomplished more than anything [he] could ever imagine” in his career and he has “made plenty of money,” but you “can’t buy time back.”

“So that’s what I want to invest in now and for now that’s our kids. Even though I’m a step-parent, I still take that job very serious and the kids don’t see me as anything other than just a very important person in their life. [When they ask,] ‘Why isn’t Blake here?’, I take that stuff to heart,” said the singer, adding, “I’m someone that they actually lean on and that’s not a responsibility that I ever had and not something I ever considered even being into, you know what I mean? So it’s just – I don’t really know how to put it into words. It’s just a different self-worth and maybe it’s opposite of self-worth because you put yourself way down on the rung and they move up ahead of you, you know? I guess that’s what they’ve taught me.”

When Shelton announced in October that he was leaving “The Voice,” he wrote on Instagram that he had been “wrestling with this [decision] for a while,” but ultimately he decided that it’s time “to step away.”

“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,” wrote Shelton.

In the comments, Stefani wrote, “I am so proud of you and so blessed to have found you. Your talent brings joy to the hearts of so many people and I am so lucky to be part of your life’s journey.”

What’s Next for Blake Shelton After ‘The Voice’? He’s Not Sure

Shelton laughed as he recounted how he has had a lot of friends ask him what he’s going to do after he’s done with “The Voice” and his answer is always: “I don’t have a plan.”

“I’ve had people say, ‘Man, come on. You’re not quitting The Voice [to do] nothing!’ But I really am. … I truly don’t have a plan, I just want to see what’s next and I don’t know what that is. It’s exciting,” said Shelton, adding that he “almost said that it’s scary,” but it’s actually not that scary.

“[I]t’s really not [scary] because I wasn’t looking for this job [on ‘The Voice’] and I found it, so it’s kind of just exciting to know what else may be out there. Or maybe nothing. maybe I’ll look back in a couple years and go, ‘Man, that was it. That was my moment and damn, made the most of it.’ But for now, in this moment, I know it’s time for me to step away as a coach. It’s time,” said Shelton.

Shelton’s final season of “The Voice” will air in the spring of 2023 on NBC.