Adam Levine Was Looking To Leave ‘The Voice’ For Years, Ryan Tedder Says ‘He Was Just Tired’

Fans of The Voice were stunned when Adam Levine made the announcement back in May that he would be leaving the reality television competition show. He was there from the very first season back in 2011, and the gig definitely took up a huge chunk of his time. Though his departure seemed sudden to many fans, it had actually been something Levine was contemplating for years, as People reports.

Ryan Tedder, a singer-songwriter and producer, shared a bit of the story on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, as he had a unique perspective on the situation. It turns out, Tedder was actually almost offered a gig on the show because Levine contemplated quitting years ago.

“I initially got pitched four years ago on potentially replacing Adam on The Voice because he was just tired. He was like, ‘I think I’m going to step off for a minute.’ They called to see if I would do it. And before I could even decide, they called back and said, ‘False alarm. He’s back on but we have this other show that you might be better for.'”

Levine has been on the show for a total of 16 seasons, which is a huge commitment.

While country star Blake Shelton may miss having his pal to joke around with, Shelton won’t be too sad — his girlfriend, music icon Gwen Stefani, will be there to take Levine’s place. The two lovebirds will be joined by Kelly Clarkson and John Legend for season 17 of the show.

Back in May when Levine first announced his departure from the show, he took to Instagram to reminisce a bit.

“After the first day of shooting, I sat there, stunned. I said to myself, ‘there’s some magic here. Something is definitely happening.’ It went on to be a life shaping experience that will be close to my heart forever.”

He also made sure to shout out to his fans in the Instagram post, thanking them for supporting him throughout the years.

Levine himself, as well as a few other sources, clarified that Levine’s departure after so many years on the show wasn’t because of any issues, as People reported. It was simply the fact that he had been doing the show for eight years — that’s nearly a decade! — and felt that it was time to take on a new challenge in his life.

He hasn’t revealed any grand plans now that he has more time on his hands, and fans will have to stay tuned to see what he’s up to. In the meantime, he’s a busy dad of two adorable baby girls with Victoria’s Secret model Behati Prinsloo, so running after his little girls probably takes up a fair chunk of his time.