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Adam Levine on Leaving The Voice: 'For Me, It Was Time to Move On'

Gwen Stefani will take his seat in the upcoming season

Kelly Connolly May 24, 2019 at 9:03 a.m. PT

Now this is a shakeup -- Adam Levine is leaving The Voice after 16 seasons.

The Voice host Carson Daly announced on the Today show on Friday that Levine has decided to step down from his big red chair, which he's occupied since the NBC singing competition debuted in 2011. "He'll always be cherished member of The Voice family, and of course we wish him nothing but the best," Daly said.

Levine had originally been announced as a returning coach for Season 17, along with Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, and Blake Shelton, all of whom are still on board for the next season. Gwen Stefani, who served as a full-time coach in three earlier seasons, will return to fill Levine's seat.

Levine addressed his exit in a lengthy Instagram post, writing, "For me, it was time to move on." The Maroon 5 frontman, who described the series as a "life shaping experience," thanked the fans, the network, and his fellow coaches. To Blake Shelton, he wrote, "I couldn't hide my love for you if I tried. Seriously. I tried."

And Levine didn't rule out future visits to the set; addressing Clarkson and Legend, he said, "Kelly and John, take care of the cowboy and I'm sure I'll be back to say hi very very soon."

View this post on Instagram

About 8 years ago, Mark Burnett convinced us to sign up for this show where you sit in a big red chair with your back turned away from the singers on the stage. First thank you must go to Mark. ❤️ We had no idea what we were doing or where it was going. After the first day of shooting, I sat there, stunned. I said to myself "theres some magic here. Something is definitely happening." It went on to be a life shaping experience that will be close to my heart forever. Thank you NBC for signing me up. I am truly honored to have been a part of something I'll always cherish for the rest of my life. Thank you to every single coach I ever sat in those chairs with. That is shared experience that is singularly ours. We have that for life. Thank you to everyone who supported this long strange and amazing left turn into a place I never thought I'd go. Thank you Carson Daly for babysitting the musicians and making sure our shoes were tied and we had our lunch boxes. You are the backbone of this thing and we appreciate you more than you know. Audrey, thank you for being perhaps the most patient person in all the free world. 4 musicians all at once is a lot. Sainthood is imminent. Thank you to Paul Mirkovich and the band for their ridiculously hard work and learning more songs than maybe any band ever. 😂 Thank you to the people behind the scenes who do the real work and make this machine hum. To the amazingly talented vocalists who competed on the show and blew my mind on a daily basis. And, BLAKE FUCKIN' SHELTON. I couldn't hide my love for you if I tried. Seriously. I tried. Can't do it. Our friendship is and always will be one for the books. Whatever this whole surreal experience was, Im just happy I got to experience it with you. You're my brother for life. Kelly and John, take care of the cowboy and I'm sure I'll be back to say hi very very soon. So much love to you both. And lastly, to all of the loyal voice fans, there's literally no show without you guys. For me, it was time to move on. Your support has meant EVERYTHING. And Lastly, I'd like to thank my manager Jordan for convincing me to take that meeting. 😊 What an amazing ride. Thank you all so much. ❤️ Adam

A post shared by Adam Levine (@adamlevine) on May 24, 2019 at 8:12am PDT

After 16 seasons, @adamlevine has decided to leave @NBCTheVoice and @gwenstefani will take his place in the chair for season 17! pic.twitter.com/dpsb0qhqZu
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) May 24, 2019

Levine lost some of the audience's goodwill in Season 15 of The Voice when he propped up Reagan Strange over DeAndro Nico. In Season 16, which wrapped up on Tuesday, not a single member of his team made it as far as the semifinals.

The Voice returns this fall on NBC.

This post has been updated to include Levine's comments.