How Blake Shelton Says Being Stepdad to Gwen Stefani’s Kids Has Changed Him

The Voice Coach Blake Shelton is stepping away from the show after Season 23, and in a recent interview with Access, he explained how his family influenced that decision by shifting his priorities in life.

“I think being a stepdad has changed my perspective in that I’m not the first person that I think about anymore," he said. "Even to the small little things when you go, ‘I think I’ll do this,’ the very next thought is always,‘Well, wait a minute. How’s that going work?' Or, 'What will they think?' Or, 'How will that affect a schedule?'" 

“I think the only way for me to really do that right is to step away from being committed to something like The Voice that demands a lot of your time," he continued. "There’s no way around it. If you’re going to do it and do it right, you have to be 150 percent in. And I just feel like those days are behind me for now. I got a more important job." 

Similarly, in a November 2022 interview with Extra, his wife Gwen Stefani, who Shelton met on The Voice in 2014, expressed the same sentiment.

“It’s a lot of brain power, it’s a lot of time away from the family, those kinds of things. I think he just got to a point where he just wants time in his ranch, like time to just do the other things that he loves to do,” the “Underneath it All” singer explained.

However, the happy couple is eager to start the next chapter of their lives together. “I’m excited for him because we have lives outside of work, and it’s a really good life," Stefani says. "It's really fun, and we have so much fun! We have Oklahoma, which is something I never knew I needed and wanted. We planted a garden, we do all kinds of fun stuff. So we’re looking forward to doing some of that family stuff together. It's 'gonna be great."

Watch The Voice on Peacock and NBC. Season 23 of the show, Shelton's last, premieres on March 6, 2023.