Adam Levine said goodbye to his friend Blake Shelton the only way he knew how — with a slight dig.
In his first statement since The Voice host Carson Daly announced Levine would not return to the NBC singing competition next season, Levine carved out a special shout-out to frenemy Shelton amid the lengthy note.
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“And, BLAKE F—IN’ SHELTON. I couldn’t hide my love for you if I tried. Seriously. I tried. Can’t do it,” he cracked. “Our friendship is and always will be one for the books. Whatever this whole surreal experience was, [I’m] just happy I got to experience it with you. You’re my brother for life.”
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He then asked his fellow coaches to “take care of” Shelton. “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,” he wrote.
Earlier in the day, Shelton wrote on Twitter that he was having a tough time with the news that Levine wouldn’t be back for season 17.
“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 Shelton and Levine had appeared on all 16 seasons of the show since its premiere in 2011.
Elsewhere in his note, Levine thanked any and everyone involved with the show.
“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 [host] 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.
After thanking Shelton, Clarkson and Legend, the Maroon 5 frontman turned to the fans.
“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,” he wrote. “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.”
The Voice will return in the fall with Gwen Stefani in Levine’s seat for season 17 on NBC.
Photo credit: Jason LaVeris / Contributor / Getty Images
