Is Blake Shelton Allegedly 'Miserable' in Marriage to Gwen Stefani?

Blake Shelton's relationship has become fodder for the rumor mill, with the latest reporting he is allegedly "miserable" in his marriage to Gwen Stefani. According to a report by Radar Online, the pair were spotted having a sour time at NASCAR's Busch Light Clash. The event was held at the Coliseum in L.A. on Feb. 5, and Stefani spent part of the event doing commentary for Fox. Later, however, sources claimed that the singer and her country star husband appeared unhappy.

"They looked miserable," one insider said. "Things just seemed really tense," someone else offered. Radar also cited a friend of the former The Voice coaches who said, "When they started dating, they couldn't keep their hands off each other. But the spark started disappearing after their wedding. It seems like they argue constantly now – they've even slept in separate bedrooms after particularly bad fights. Friends are worried Gwen and Blake are falling out of love."

This is not the first time that unconfirmed rumors have swirled around Stefani and Shelton's relationship. In 2022, reports popped up that indicated Shelton and Gavin Rossdale were feuding over the children Stefani shares with the Bush frontman, but there was no credible confirmation that this was true. According to Suggest, outlets such as the National Enquirer had been running stories that suggested the two men were at odds over fatherhood. However, Suggest was not so sure the rumors had any validity.

"Gavin is trying very hard to parent alongside Gwen, but he wants to make it perfectly clear he is the father of their sons, not Blake," a source allegedly claimed to the Enquirer. Another source said of Rossdale: "He's fine being erased from Gwen's history, but he won't be erased from his kids' past or their future." Suggest pointed to the notion that the Enquirer has run baseless stories about Stefani and Shelton in the past as part of their reasoning for why this report was also likely not accurate.

Earlier in the year Shelton personally opened up about his relationship with Stefani, and the country music superstar gushed over being a stepfather to her sons. People reports that Shelton gave a wide-ranging interview during the Country Radio Seminar in Nashville and amid the conversation about his career and personal life, the singer pointed out that, initially, Stefani's three sons — Kingston, 15, Zuma, 13, and Apollo, 8, whom she shares with ex-husband Rossdale — indicated that they were not sure the relationship would last.

 "I think Gwen thought, when we first started seeing each other, that it was just gonna be a moment in time because of that," Shelton said, referring to the boys' skepticism. However, Shelton was committed to making the boys a priority, as he had the benefit of seeing his own father be a loving stepfather to his older brother. "He took Richie on and raised him from the time he was 1 year old, and my brother never thought of my dad as anything other than his dad," Shelton said. Sadly, Richie died in a car accident in 1990 at the age of 24. "The example that my dad set for me was that [child] was not even a consideration [in a romantic partnership]."