Clarkson, who just completed her third consecutive season on the NBC series, spoke of her fellow coach’s decision beforeshe performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the Indy 500 on Sunday.
“I found out the night before everybody else found out,” sherevealed toExtrabefore her performance. “I was texting him and everybody else.”
Levine, 40, wasrevealed to be departing the seriesafter being a coach since the inaugural season when hostCarson Dalyannounced the news onToday.
“It was kind of a shocking thing,” Clarkson, 37, said. “But I kind of get it. He’s been doing it for eight years — that’s a long time. He’s got a couple kids. Still has a career. Still touring. It’s a very rigorous schedule fitting everything in.”
Trae Patton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty
The “Broken and Beautiful” singer, who will return for season 17 to coach alongsideBlake Shelton,John Legend, and Levine’s replacementGwen Stefani, also admitted that life on the show without Levine on the show would be an adjustment.
“It’ll be weird going to work,” she explained. “‘Where’s Adam?’ But I totally get how busy it is trying to fit everything in plus having a family.”
After initially finding out the surprising news of the Maroon 5 singer’s exit, Clarksonsent out a tweeton Friday, as did Shelton, 42.
“Found out last night about Adam leavingThe Voice& while I get that he’s been doing the show 4 a while & wants to step away, it will be weird showing up 4 work & he’s not there,” Clarkson wrote.” To start an amazing show from the ground up is a big deal!”
Shelton, who has been close friends with Levine since the beginning of the show,expressed his disappointmentat losing his fellow coach and friend.
“Having a hard time wrapping my head around Adam not being atThe Voiceanymore,” he wrote. “After 16 seasons that changed both of our lives. I only found out about this yesterday and it hasn’t set in on me yet.”
He concluded with a fun-loving jab at Levine: “Gonna miss working with that idiot.”
Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine and John Legend.Heidi Gutman/NBCUniversal
Levine himself opened up abouthis decision to leaveThe Voicein alengthy note posted to Instagramon Friday, hours after the news first broke.
The singer posted a 2012Rolling Stonecover featuring himself with then-coaches Shelton,Christina Aguileraand CeeLo Green. The foursome were the original coach panel for the first three seasons.
In the caption, Levine recalled how he first landed the gig, which lasted over eight years and 16 seasons.
“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. ❤️ We had no idea what we were doing or where it was going,” he began the message. “After the first day of shooting, I sat there, stunned. I said to myself “there’s some magic here. Something is definitely happening.” It went on to be a life shaping experience that will be close to my heart forever.”
While the news came as a shock to most fans, asource revealed to PEOPLEthat Levine had been wanting to depart the show for some time now.
“He’s been wanting to move on for a while,” the source told PEOPLE of the Maroon 5 frontman. “They wanted him to stay but he just really wanted to move on. It’s something he’s been talking to Carson and the other coaches about for some time.”
“He really didn’t like some of the changes to the format of the show last season, and it’s just time for him to leave,” the source continued. “It wouldn’t be surprising if he came back to visit the show though. There’s new music coming soon for him, he’ll be touring and he plans to continue acting. He’s staying busy.”
source: people.com
