Blake Shelton Leaving ‘The Voice’? Country Crooner ‘Wants Out’ After Gwen Stefani Fights With Producers

Blake Shelton’s long-running stint on The Voice might be over. Shelton is reportedly leaving the show following Gwen Stefani’s epic fight with producers. Will the upcoming season be Shelton’s last?

An inside source revealed to Radar Online that Shelton is seriously considering leaving The Voice in the near future. Although Shelton is thankful for his time on the hit show, he is ready to move on to other things in his life, including his hot career in country music.

“Blake is mulling over the possibility of quitting the show after this next season,” the insider shared. “He is saying that he loves The Voice because it brought him to Gwen, but that he ultimately wants to focus more on his career and give other artists the opportunity that he has had.”

Shelton has been a judge on The Voice for five years, and he and Adam Levine are the only original judges left on the show. While Shelton’s exit has not been officially confirmed, there is reason to believe that Stefani’s meltdown off camera has a lot to do with his decision.

NBC is preparing for some big changes on The Voice next season. Both Christina Aguilera and Pharrell Williams are leaving the show after this season and will be replaced by Miley Cyrus and Alicia Keys. The fact that Stefani was not asked to return as a judge was the main source of contention between the No Doubt frontwoman and producers.

“[Stefani] was livid that she was not asked to replace Christina on The Voice next season,” the insider explained. “Because of this, Gwen is saying she just wants to be done with the show altogether.”

Stefani and Aguilera have switched places on the show for a few years now, which Stefani expected would happen again. However, after Cyrus and Keys were confirmed as the new judges, Stefani reportedly had a major fight with producers backstage. Unfortunately, her exclusion as a judge for a second year in a row was too much to handle.

While Shelton has not confirmed his exit from the show, Entertainment Focus is reporting that he teamed up with Stefani for a special performance on the latest episode. The two sang “Go Ahead and Break My Heart” from Shelton’s newest album, while looking adoringly at each other on stage.

The single is the first time Shelton and Stefani have worked together on a song. When opening up about the track’s significance, Shelton shared how it has special meaning for him and Stefani.

“This is one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written or recorded,” he revealed. “It came from a time and place when Gwen and I were beginning our journey together and both experiencing a hard time letting our guards down with each other. The song couldn’t possibly be more honest.”

Although Shelton’s days on The Voice may be numbered, he is still making the most of his time on the show. In fact, Hollywood Life just released some hilarious outtakes that prove Shelton loves working with his team members.

The video includes Shelton dishing out some encouragement to Paxton Ingram, and Shelton giving out respect to Mary Sarah for taking shots of apple cider before going on stage.

Apart from his time on the show, ET Online is reporting that Shelton was recently spotted with Stefani during the premiere of Angry Birds in L.A. last weekend. Stefani did not walk the red carpet with Shelton, though she did take several photos of the country crooner posing with a few birds from the movie.

The Voice continues Monday and Tuesday nights on NBC.

Tell us! Do you think Blake Shelton will really leave The Voice because they did not bring Gwen Stefani back? Let us know in the comments and watch Blake and Gwen’s duet below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I21S6BdsZog

[Image via NBC Universal]