Blake Shelton has been on The Voice ever since the reality competition show’s inception. He’s been considered a champion coach, particularly given a singer on his team has won that $100 grand prize money and record deal during eight seasons. After it was announced last month that The Voice would be losing Shelton to retirement, the longtime TV personality shared a few suggestions he has for retirement gifts. Of course Gwen Stefani and co. had some choice responses.
Honestly, The Voice will probably never be the same without the judge turning his chair for some of the best and brightest, but at least one of the best parts about retirement is the parting gifts one tends to receive. Ahead of Tuesday’s live Top 10 results, Shelton jokingly dished in an interview with ET Online about what kind of retirement gifts he would like to see come from each of his fellow judges, and they responded in kind:
"Blake Shelton: From John I would like a pallet of his LVE wine, with a mixture of his choice. Not a case, a pallet.
John Legend: All right. I’m with that.
Shelton: From Gwen we split everything anyway, so whatever she buys herself.
Gwen Stefani: Can I redecorate the LA house?
Shelton: This is my retirement gift.
This chart-topping performer clearly doesn’t hold back on what to include on his wish list and he didn't stop with the veteran coaches. In I'm sure when Camila Cabello was welcomed to The Voice in Season 22, she never would have pictured being for such a (jokingly) huge gift from Shelton. The exchange continued...
"Shelton: I think an ATV. I think that would be great for Camila to buy me.
Camila Cabello: Whoa, very big. Santa's budget is a little tight this year, I don't know."
These exchanges were practically perfect (and on brand for Shelton's general humor), but since these longtime and newcomer judges have been like a family to each other, I’d like to believe his actual gift requests would be something more to commemorate the great times he had on the show.
The “God’s Country” singer announced in October that his time on The Voice would be over after twelve years he spent as a champion judge on the show. In his Instagram statement, he expressed how life-changing the show was to him and that it’s been “a hell of a ride” for him. Life-changing for sure as he met his future wife, Gwen Stefani, on the show since being chair-by-chair since her introduction in season seven. After five years of dating, they were engaged and finally got married in July 2021 with a number of musical collaborations between the two of them. It must have been a blessing to him that this highly-rated competition series introduced him to new love.
After it was revealed Blake Shelton’s chair-turning days would be over, his budding judges couldn’t help but convey their heartfelt reactions. John Legend’s reaction to Shelton's exit had him calling the singer “the heart and soul and anchor” of the show. While he knows you can’t do the same thing forever, his absence will be missed. His No Doubt wife also shared some thoughts of her own about how strange it will be to not have her hubby on the show anymore. She even wondered “who this new Blake’s gonna be?” But, Stefani understands her husband's reasoning for leaving.
As for what Blake Shelton has up his sleeves post-retirement, he’ll still be tuning that guitar for his 18-date Back to the Honky Tonk Tour, featuring country singers Carly Pierce and Jackson Dean. With the loving family and musical talents this 46-year-old singer has got going for him, he’ll be doing just fine after The Voice. You can join The Voice’s Top 10 week on November 28th at 8 p.m. Be sure to check out our 2022 TV schedule so you can catch other shows premiering before the year is up.
