The Voice -- Live Finale, Part 1 Episode 2220A -- Pictured: Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton© Getty Images

Blake Shelton reveals his reaction to Gwen Stefani's return to The Voice after his exit: 'Money talks'

Blake and Gwen first met on the NBC singing competition in 2014

Ahad Sanwari - New York
Senior WriterNew York
November 9, 2023

Sparks first flew between Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani when they met on The Voice in 2014 and embarked on a relationship the following year.

Their love story went in tandem with the NBC singing competition, tying the knot in 2021 at a ceremony officiated by The Voice host Carson Daly.

It came as a shock to many when Blake, 47, announced in October that he was going to step away from the show after 23 seasons to spend time with family, and it was an even bigger surprise when Gwen, 54, was announced as one of the coaches for the very next season.

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Blake shared his reaction to Gwen's return to The Voice immediately after his exit

During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Wednesday, November 8, the country music star talked about the revolving door of their tenures on the show.

Blake told the host that he quit the show "for the family, for more family time," and added: "Then the very next announcement was 'Gwen's coming back!' …maybe she doesn't want too much family time."

He presented a more realistic picture of it all, saying: "Money talks, money talks in this industry," and told Jimmy that they never really planned their respective appearances on the show as spouses.

"If [this] shows you anything, we're completely not involved in each other's decision making when it comes to our careers. She's Gwen Stefani, and that's its own machine.

"So it was like 'Oh wait…you're going back? 'Cause I just quit, so…I'll catch you next spring.'"

MORE: See The Voice coaches jaw-dropping weddings: Gwen Stefani's iconic dress, John Legend's A-list entertainment, more

Ahead of the premiere of the ongoing 24th season of The Voice, Gwen sat down with the Today Show to discuss "life after Blake" on the show, and joked: "My life is all about Blake, I get to go home to that."

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The celebrity couple met on the NBC show in 2014

She added: "It's really different being on the show without him. I miss him so bad on the show. At the same time, it wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be because he was just so ready to have a break, it was kind of weighing on me the last season we were on there. I still really love being on the show."

In October, Gwen received her coveted star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, surrounded by her three sons, Kingston, 17, Zuma, 15, and Apollo, nine.

MORE: Gwen Stefani airs frustration at marriage compromise with husband Blake

The "God Gave Me You" singer used his speech to recall their first meeting in 2014 and emphasized that motherhood was her first priority. Watch the speech below…

WATCH: Blake Shelton's tear-jerking Walk of Fame speech for Gwen Stefani

"It was clear to me that she was a mother first and foremost over anything else in this world," he said of their first ever interaction on The Voice

MORE: Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton prep for exciting changes at huge family farm in loved-up video

"That was her number one job. And now standing here, almost ten years later, after I first met her, I can say without question that being a mother is still the most important thing in her life."

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The country star paid tribute to his wife of two years

He continued: "What makes me happiest for Gwen, though, is that this all started with a song she wrote. Songwriting is her favorite thing to do. And she happens to be exceptionally talented at it."

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