Blake Shelton Opens Up About Leaving 'The Voice' Following Weekend Outing With Gwen Stefani in LA

Blake Shelton's getting ready to say goodbye to — but the emotions haven't hit him just yet!The Cowboy is stepping away from the NBC singing competition's famous spinning chairs after the upcoming 23rd season. Shelton has been the only coach to participate in every season since the show started in 2011, and as the winningest coach, he's leaving some big boots to fill.«I don’t think it’s really gonna hit me until the last episode,» he shared with ET's Cassie DiLaura over the weekend, catching up backstage at the Birmingham, Alabama, stop on his ongoing Back to the Honky Tonk Tour.

Gwen Stefani's youngest son, Apollo, is one year away from double-digits! The «Sweet Escape» singer took to Instagram to pay tribute to her son on his ninth birthday.  «My world is so much bigger with u in it, happy birthday, apollo ♥️♥️ i love u so much,» Stefani wrote. The former  coach shared a collection of photos and videos of her son set to her No Doubt song «Running.»A post shared by Gwen Stefani (@gwenstefani)Stefani's husband and Apollo's stepdad, Blake Shelton, is seen smiling in the main image of the post.

Blake Shelton has been waiting a long time to go back on the road, though excited as he is to be touring again, he can't help but miss his wife, Gwen Stefani.The star is currently on his Back to the Honky Tonk tour, alongside Carly Pearce and Jackson Dean, through which he has reenacted old-school country performances at dive bars and honky-tonks, and attendees even get to enjoy a working bar.However, as much as he has been enjoying the partying and nostalgia, it isn't easy to be distanced from Gwen, who has stayed back in California.WATCH: Gwen Stefani causes a stir with appearance in video with husband Blake SheltonMORE: Gwen Stefani wishes lookalike mom a happy birthday with sweet throwback photoSpeaking with Entertainment Tonight backstage at Birmingham, Alabama, he admitted of the current long-distance situation: "It's terrible."What's more, it didn't help that California experienced some out of the ordinary stormy weather recently, and he said: "Right now, they're having bad storms back in California, and I hate not being there."MORE: What Blake Shelton has said about being a present dad - 'I don't want any regrets'The singer endearingly added: "Not that anything bad is happening... but I know they're kind of freaked out and it'd be nice to be home."A post shared by Blake Shelton (@blakeshelton)Blake has one more month of touring, his last show being March 25He explained that as much fun as he is having getting back on the road, he does always try to limit the length of the tour so he can spend as little time as possible away from Gwen and his stepsons, and in fact, it is exactly why he decided to step away from The Voice.DISCOVER: T.J.

Ahead of his own swan song season as a coach on "The Voice," Blake Shelton is delving into the nitty-gritty of why he's leaving the show, calling out fellow coach Kelly Clarkson for getting him fired. "Kelly finally got me fired. I wanted to announce that here on the show, that Kelly Clarkson actually got me fired," Shelton joked with Jimmy Kimmel on his late-night program.

Blake Shelton doesn't think stands a chance without him. The 46-year-old country crooner is preparing for the premiere of his final season on the NBC music competition after 23 seasons on the air.While a guest on Monday's episode of , Shelton was asked, «And you're so sick of everything, right?»«Oh my god, I mean, Carson [Daly], Kelly [Clarkson],» Shelton jokingly quipped.

Blake Shelton is on the road once again — and having a blast!ET's Cassie DiLaura spoke with the country music star over the weekend, backstage at the Birmingham, Alabama, stop on his ongoing Back to the Honky Tonk Tour.True to The Cowboy's style, the tour is a party every night — along with supporting acts Carly Pearce and Jackson Dean, Shelton takes the stage in each city surrounded by a full, working bar, where lucky fans can sit and enjoy the show like they're back in their favorite Nashville dive.«It's just fun,» the singer shared. «It really is like what I started out doing — you know, we played the bars and in some of them old honky-tonks and stuff that I played back in the day, the bar would be kinda there on the side and people would come turn around and [listen].

Blake Shelton's last season on, but that doesn't mean it's all about him… or does it?In ET's exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the singing competition's upcoming season 23, the coaches — Blake, Kelly Clarkson and newcomers Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper — parody to give fans a mockumentary-style look at Blake's last go-round.«Oh, it's definitely all about Blake,» Kelly says, with a pitch-perfect eye roll to the cameras.«Am I gonna miss? Maybe,» Blake muses in a voiceover. «But that's not what I'm focused on. Right now, I've got one more to win.»Declaring himself the «sexiest, winningest, most amazing and beloved coach,» Blake also shows himself taking time with the new coaches, explaining his past wardrobe choices to Chance and signing — and later, tattooing — his name on Niall's arm.«Blake thinks I admire him, which means when the show starts, he'll never see me coming,» Chance notes.But not everyone is taking things so lightly.«I will say that me leaving has been harder on some than it has on others,» Blake notes as the camera cuts to host Carson Daly sobbing over a scrapbook of photos of the pair together.Watch the full BTS clip below:ET spoke with Blake at theseason 22 finale, where he reflected on his last season with wife Gwen Stefani and saying goodbye to the show.«It is crazy to think of how the show changed my life,» he said of meeting his wife on the reality competition.So, could the country star ever see himself returning to  -- possibly as a celeb mentor on Team Gwen?«Oh my god, I'd be honored to be Gwen's mentor,» Blake shared. «Whatever she tells me to do, I'm gonna do.» season 23 premieres Monday, March 6 at 8 p.m.

Blake Shelton admitted he plans on doing a "little bit of nothing" after announcing he's leaving "The Voice." Shelton, 46, first shared the news in October 2022.The country music star had been a host for the past 12 years of the singing competition.The "Nobody But You" singer revealed during Monday's episode of "Today" that he started thinking about leaving the show in 2020. "I think I was close to calling it a day right when COVID hit," he told host Carson Daly. "And then, because of COVID, I didn’t want to walk away from the show and leave everybody in a bind," he added.

Gwen Stefani gets her youthful good looks. The Voice judge, 53, paid tribute to her mom, Patti, as she rang in her birthday, and she did so with an adorable throwback photo.The image taken from her childhood showed a young Gwen sitting alongside her mom who looked stunning in a billowing, floral top, choker and with her hair pulled back from her face. She bore the same smile as her famous daughter and the resemblance was uncanny.WATCH: Gwen Stefani's causes a stir with appearance in video shared with Blake SheltonGwen looked cute as can be in a green dress and Mary Jane shoes with her brunette locks adorned with a headband. The No Doubt singer posted the image on Instagram and captioned it: "Happy birthday to my beautiful mom, love u.

Blake Shelton has had quite the run over the course of his 22 seasons on !The only coach who has been a part of every season of the NBC singing competition, The Cowboy is finally hanging it up after the show's upcoming 23rd season — and he's leaving some big boots to fill.From winning a record nine titles on the show, to working with some of the biggest names in music, to meeting his future wife, Gwen Stefani, it seems there's nothing Blake hasn't done throughout his time on So, in celebration of his final season, we're taking a comprehensive look back at all the winning singers, fellow coaches and mega-star music mentors that Blake has worked with over the years.- season 2Jermaine Paul got two chairs to turn with his Blind Audition performance of Avril Lavigne's «Complicated.» After choosing Blake over CeeLo Green, Paul was saved twice — once by his coach and once by the public vote — to make it to the final 4, where his performances of «I Believe I Can Fly» and Dave Barnes' «God Gave Me You» gave him the edge to win the season 2 title.- season 3Cassadee Pope got her musical start with the pop-punk band Hey Monday, but her solo breakthrough came on season 3, where she wowed the coaches, scoring a four-chair turn for her cover of Natalie Imbruglia's «Torn.» After a series of saves by her coaches and the public vote, Cassadee made it to the Top 3, where her performances of Miranda Lambert's «Over You» and Faith Hill's «Cry» sealed her big win. — season 4Danielle Bradbery got three chairs to turn for her Blind Audition performance of Taylor Swift's «Mean» in season 4, but she went with the reigning champ and joined Team Blake.

Apparently Jennifer Lopez wasn’t the only one asked to be a part of the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards performance with Madonna…

Pink revealed this week that she and Gwen Stefani were invited by Madonna to be part of her infamous onstage kiss with Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears at the 2003 MTV Video Movie Awards. "I think we all were [invited]," Pink told New York radio station KTU 103.5 while promoting her new album "Trustfall" on Wednesday after being asked about it by an interviewer.

It’s Blake Shelton’s final season on “The Voice” — so it’s only fitting that the Mega Mentor is a country music legend!

Irish accent or Southern twang? In a preview of season 23 of , former One Direction crooner and new coach Niall Horan is seen giving his best impression of one of the singing competition show's other coaches, Blake Shelton. As  fans know, this upcoming season will be Shelton's last coaching on the panel after 12 years. Nodding to Shelton's departure from the series, Horan says, «This is my last season on , and I would be honored if you were to be on the last-ever Team Blake.» Season 23 features Shelton, Horan, Kelly Clarkson and Chance the Rapper as coaches. Teasing the lighthearted competition among coaches,  preview shows Shelton asking Horan during the Blind Auditions if he's going to «act like you know something about country music.» Shelton then goes after Clarkson, saying she «always acts like she knows something about country music.»Holding his own, Horan retorts, «Yeah, I am.

Blake Shelton's final season on — so it's only fitting that the Mega Mentor is a country music legend!NBC announced on Wednesday that Reba McEntire will serve as the Mega Mentor for the upcoming season 23, advising Shelton and his fellow coaches — Kelly Clarkson and newcomers Chance the Rapper and Niall Horan — and their team members ahead of the Knockout Rounds.It's a full-circle moment for McEntire, who served as Shelton's Battle Round Advisor during the singing competition's very first season back in 2011.Of course, Shelton isn't the only coach McEntire has a connection with — she's also very close with Clarkson, her former daughter-in-law and frequent duet partner.Season 23 will also see some changes to the  competition, with the addition of a «Playoff Pass» in the Battle Rounds, which allows both artists to advance — and the winner to skip the Knockout Round and head straight to the Playoffs. Each coach will still have a steal in both the Battle and Knockout Rounds, and the return of the Playoff Round will see the top 20 artists going head-to-head to determine who will make it to the live shows.Season 23 premieres on March 6, with the Battle Rounds commencing on March 27, the Playoffs on May 1 and the live shows on May 15.McEntire previously revealed that she'd turned down an offer to become a coach on, explaining that she didn't want to be tied down to a long-term project when she has so much on her plate already.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Reba McEntire will join “The Voice” as a mega mentor for Season 23, Variety has learned. McEntire joins the A-list lineup of coaches Chance the Rapper, Kelly Clarkson, Niall Horan and Blake Shelton for the new season that premieres on Mar. 6 on NBC. Season 23 is Shelton’s final season. He has been part of the musical competition show from the very beginning, as the only coach who has remained for the entirety of the show’s run. Having McEntire on board brings another country superstar into the show’s mix. It also marks McEntire’s return to “The Voice,” as she served as a Battle Advisor to Team Blake during the show’s inaugural season in 2011. Now, having her back on the series as Shelton coaches his final group of artists and bids farewell to the competition is a fitting full circle reunion.

Reba McEntire is joining Season 23 of NBC‘s The Voice.

Gwen Stefani sparked a reaction from her fans on Monday when she shared a gorgeous photo with a rarely-seen family member.The Voice star took to Instagram to pose for a stunning selfie with her sister-in-law Jenny, who is married to Gwen's lookalike younger brother Todd. The duo shared a smiley snap which saw them both twinning with platinum blonde hair and wearing products from Gwen's makeup line, GXVE Beauty.WATCH: Gwen Stefani shares rare glimpse inside huge makeup roomGwen looked striking wearing Line It Up waterproof gel liner in Bathwater, a metallic electric cobalt blue, while Jenny opted for a classic matte black version, and they both sported the singer's new mascara and a glossy nude lip.

Blake Shelton is proud to be known as "Mr. Stefani." Over the weekend, Gwen Stefani took to Instagram to share a collage of images from Shelton's Back to the Honky Tonk Tour. In the post, Shelton is seen wearing a rhinestone denim jacket with "Mr.