Blake Shelton Says Adam Levine’s Plan To Leave ‘The Voice’ Was The Show’s Worst-Kept Secret: ‘We All Knew’

Adam Levine’s exit from The Voice may have come as a shock to fans, but not Blake Shelton.

The fellow coach on the singing competition opened up about Levine’s decision to leave The Voice, hinting that it was the worst-kept secret on the show. Shelton shared that even before Adam made his plans known, everyone involved in the show knew that he was ready for a change.

“I think we all knew, on the inside of the show, that he was ready to make a move,” Shelton told Entertainment Tonight, via Deadline. “For a guy like Adam, who is just — he’s the most ADD person I think I’ve met — for him to have even done it as long as he did without wanting to move on to the next thing, is amazing.”

Adam Levine announced his decision to leave the show in late May, and shared some details about his decision in an Instagram post. Adam reminisced about being convinced by producer Mark Burnett to sign up for the show, even though he and the other coaches had no idea what they were doing. But Levine said that by the end of the first day of shooting, he could tell “there’s some magic here.”

Adam said that working on The Voice ended up being a life-shaping experience, and had some especially kind words for Blake Shelton.

“I couldn’t hide my love for you if I tried. Seriously. I tried. Can’t do it,” he wrote to Blake. “Our friendship is and always will be one for the books.”

Blake Shelton added that he knows Adam is happy with the decision, even if Blake has his reservations. But Shelton did say he could see the silver lining in the changes on the show.

“At least they were able to soften the blow a little bit and bring Gwen back,” he said, referring to the comeback for his girlfriend and former coach, Gwen Stefani.

While Blake said that he and everyone else knew that Adam Levine was planning to leave The Voice, the decision to bring back Gwen Stefani was somehow more of a surprise.

“By the time I found out what was going on, which was only about 12 hours before the announcement, they had already reached out to Gwen’s camp and said, ‘Look, Adam’s decided he’s gonna move on, we’re ready for Gwen if she’s in,'” Shelton shared.

Shelton added that he’s not sure what the show will feel like without Adam Levine, who he said has been his “frenemy” since day one on the show.