Adam Levine Exiting 'The Voice' After 16 Seasons

Gwen Stefani will replace the Maroon 5 frontman in the new season.
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Adam Levine has turned his judge’s chair around on “The Voice” for the last time.

The Maroon 5 frontman, who served as an original judge on the reality singing competition series when it premiered in 2011, is departing the program ahead of its 17th season, NBC announced on Friday.

“The Voice” host Carson Daly broke the news on “Today,” describing Levine as a “beloved coach and friend.”

“Adam was one of the original coaches who launched the show, winning the competition three times and inspiring many of the artists that he worked so closely with over the years,” Daly said. “He’ll always be a cherished member of the ‘Voice’ family … and we wish him nothing but the best.”

Gwen Stefani will replace Levine for the new season, which is expected to debut in the fall, alongside judges Blake Shelton, John Legend and Kelly Clarkson.

The “No Doubt” singer previously sat on the judging panel in Seasons 7, 9 and 12, but failed to lead her team members to victory. Levine, meanwhile, has been more successful, making winners out of three contestants, Javier Colon in Season 1, Tessanne Chin in Season 5 and Jordan Smith in Season 9.

Levine addressed his exit in a lengthy Instagram caption, hinting that he may return to the NBC series sooner than expected.

“I am truly honored to have been a part of something I’ll always cherish for the rest of my life,” he wrote on Friday. “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.”

He added: “I’m sure I’ll be back to say hi very very soon.”

Levine will surely be missed by his on-screen frenemy Shelton who admitted he was “having a hard time wrapping my head around” the singer’s exit.

“I only found out about this yesterday and it hasn’t set in on me yet,” he wrote on Twitter after the news broke. “Gonna miss working with that idiot.”

The Super Bowl LIII halftime show performer, however, faced some backlash last season in what was his most controversial year on the series to date.

Levine chose to back contestant Reagan Strange over DeAndre Nico in a Season 15 episode despite the former singer not performing due to an illness.

Strange was saved after Levine’s plea to keep her on the show, angering many fans who expressed their discontent online. Nico was subsequently eliminated and said Levine “sold him out” in an interview shortly after.

This has been updated throughout.

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