‘The Voice’: Blake Shelton Surprises Winner in Middle of Concert

The Voice coach Blake Shelton recently surprised 2020 winner Todd Tilghman right in the middle of a concert. In a video shared on social media, Tilghman is seen playing a pop-up show for fans at Shelton’s Ole Red bar, restaurant, and venue in Gatlinburg, TN. Suddenly a video call came in on the screen behind the band, with Shelton’s face eventually popping up, to cheers from the crowd.

The two joked around a little, with Shelton quipping, “Actually, you’re the reason I’m quittin’ the show, it’s never been the same since you and I had that epic run that we had.” He continued, “I don’t know if people out there remember or not, but the year you won the show was the COVID lockdown,” which forced the judges and the contestants to all film from separate locations. In the three-year wake of Tilghmam’s win, Shelton went on to praise the singer’s continued performances as “a testament to you and your talent, and breaking through, and just your overall message.” Shelton then added, “I’m just still really proud of you and blown away by that season.”

The Voice Season 23, will be Shelton’s last, as back in October he revealed his plans to leave the show. “It’s been a hell of a ride over these 12 years of chair turns and I want to thank everyone at The Voice from NBC, every producer, the writers, musicians, crew and catering people, you are the best,” The country music superstar wrote in an Instagram post. “It takes a lot of work, passion, and adult beverages (Ha!) to pull off a live show twice a week.”

He continued, “I have to give a huge shoutout to the singers-the ‘voices,’ who come on this stage season after season and amaze us with their talent and a special thanks to those who chose me to be their coach. It’s about y’all, the fans, who watch and support these artists, us coaches and everyone at The Voice who are chasing their dreams. It would not happen without you!” As for Levine, he exited , after 16 seasons. Both men were part of the show’s debut back in 2011.

More recently, Shelton opened up and revealed one of the main reasons why he chose to exit The Voice after being a coach for 23 seasons. During an appearance on Today, Shelton explained that it was the COVID-19 pandemic that first sparked his motivation for moving on. “I think I was close to calling it a day right when COVID hit,” the singer-turned-competition judge stated. 

Shelton went on to say, “And then, because of COVID, I didn’t want to walk away from the show and leave everybody in a bind. I mean, this show changed my life. I’ll stay here until the world kind of gets back to normal again.” The songwriter then joked that there is one thing that could get him to return for Season 24, after his final season, which is coming soon to NBC. “I’d like for Kelly to not be on the show anymore,” he quipped. “I just think there’s too much Kelly Clarkson on television, in general.”