Adam Levine Breaks Silence After ‘The Voice’ Exit

Adam Levine will miss the people he calls his family at The Voice. After Carson Daly announced Levine would not return to the singing competition for season 17, Levine took to Instagram to thank everyone who had a hand in the last 16 seasons.

“About 8 years ago, Mark Burnett convinced us to sign up for this show where you sit in a big red chair with your back turned away from the singers on the stage. First thank you must go to Mark,” he began in his lengthy caption along with a cover of Rolling Stone when The Voice first premiered in 2011.

He continued: “We had no idea what we were doing or where it was going. After the first day of shooting, I sat there, stunned. I said to myself ‘theres some magic here. Something is definitely happening.’ It went on to be a life shaping experience that will be close to my heart forever.

“Thank you NBC for signing me up. I am truly honored to have been a part of something I’ll always cherish for the rest of my life. Thank you to every single coach I ever sat in those chairs with. That is shared experience that is singularly ours. We have that for life.

“Thank you to everyone who supported this long strange and amazing left turn into a place I never thought I’d go. Thank you Carson Daly for babysitting the musicians and making sure our shoes were tied and we had our lunch boxes. You are the backbone of this thing and we appreciate you more than you know.

“Audrey, thank you for being perhaps the most patient person in all the free world. 4 musicians all at once is a lot. Sainthood is imminent. Thank you to Paul Mirkovich and the band for their ridiculously hard work and learning more songs than maybe any band ever.

“Thank you to the people behind the scenes who do the real work and make this machine hum. To the amazingly talented vocalists who competed on the show and blew my mind on a daily basis.”

He then dedicated a few words to fellow coach Blake Shelton, with whom he had a frenemy-type relationship for the cameras, which delighted fans and viewers at home.

“And, BLAKE F—IN’ SHELTON. I couldn’t hide my love for you if I tried. Seriously. I tried. Can’t do it. Our friendship is and always will be one for the books. Whatever this whole surreal experience was, Im just happy I got to experience it with you. You’re my brother for life. Kelly [Clarkson] and John [Legend], take care of the cowboy and I’m sure I’ll be back to say hi very very soon. So much love to you both.

“And lastly, to all of the loyal voice fans, there’s literally no show without you guys. For me, it was time to move on. Your support has meant EVERYTHING.

“And Lastly, I’d like to thank my manager Jordan for convincing me to take that meeting. What an amazing ride. Thank you all so much. Adam.”

Earlier in the day, Shelton took to Twitter to share that he was having a tough time with the fact that Levine wouldn’t be returning.

“Having a hard time wrapping my head around [Adam Levine] not being at [The Voice] anymore. After 16 seasons that changed both of our lives,” Shelton tweeted. “I only found out about this yesterday and it hasn’t set in on me yet. Gonna miss working with that idiot.”

Both Levine and Shelton had appeared on all 16 seasons of the show since its premiere in 2011.

Former judge Gwen Stefani, who has been dating Shelton since 2015, will join Shelton, Clarkson and Legend in the fall when The Voice returns for season 17.