Why did Adam Levine leave ‘The Voice?’

Adam Levine was one of the most beloved coaches on The Voice. However, since Adam Levine left the show after the 16th season in 2019. Fans have wondered exactly why he stepped away from the program. 

So if you’ve ever wondered why Adam Levine walked away, here is everything you need to know. 

What is The Voice?

First arriving on screens in 2011, The Voice is a singing contest broadcast on NBC. While the rules have changed slightly over the years, the core format is always the same. Each season a group of guest coaches assembles a team of ambitious singers via a series of blind auditions. Then, when these teams are completed, the coach helps them improve before they get pitted against each other until the remaining singers compete live on TV, with the public voting for who they think is the best. 

Why did Adam Levine leave The Voice? 

Many rumors are floating around about Adam Levine’s reasons for leaving The Voice. One of the most common and prolific rumors says that Levine was upset with changes to the show’s format, and this anger caused a schism between him and the show’s executives. TVLine says the issue started when the show was pre-taping Season 16’s Semi-finals. According to them:

“By all accounts, Levine did not want to attend that Sunday taping. As one source tells TVLine, the Maroon 5 frontman expressed frustration beforehand at having to be present when, at that point, he had no artists left in the Season 16 race. And he did not hide his frustration. One eyewitness tells TVLine that Levine was “very difficult” during the entire taping, refusing opportunities to offer commentary to the other judges’ performers.”

This is because the rules of the show changed during the 16th season. This format change meant that each coach would not have the same number of singers at the start of the Live Playoffs section of the competition. Something that had been the case in previous seasons. These rule changes heavily affected Levine as it meant he entered the stage with only 4 singers, and all of those got eliminated by the semifinals, meaning Levine had to continue to be on the show, despite being out of the contest. 

No official reason was given when the TV show Today announced that Levine would be stepping down. 

And Levine’s official statement took a similar approach. In his Instagram post announcing that he was leaving the show, Levine didn’t give a reason for his departure but took the time to praise his fellow coaches and the staff behind the contest. 

He later explained his reason for leaving during an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. He told Ellen: 

“I do miss it, but I also don’t miss how much I had to work. I was just constantly working for so many years. Very lucky, very fortunate, very blessed, and all that, but just to be able to stop in this moment to spend time with my new young family and just have the greatest time ever.”

So while many people still debate the exact reasons behind Levine’s departure from the show. Officially he left to spend more time with his family.