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Adam Levine reveals the surprising moment he questioned if his banter with Blake Shelton went too far

Blake Shelton once told Adam Levine during 'The Voice' shoot, “Buddy, you hit me as hard as you want. You will never go too hard.”

Adam Levine famously shared a fun rapport with ‘The Voice’ co-judge Blake Shelton until the Maroon 5 frontman left in 2019, and Shelton followed behind in 2023. The fans enjoyed the duo’s hilarious back-and-forth for many seasons but eventually grew tired of their derogatory remarks. During Levine’s appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Monday, April 28, he opened up about his bond with his on-screen frenemy. He also revealed which one of them was more sensitive to the insults and the limit before it's too much. “We just felt really comfortable with each other right away … and so we started kind of dissing each other casually,” the 'Maroon 5' alum recalled. 

There came a time when Levine asked the Country star if the remarks were ever too much for him. The ‘Animals’ hitmaker wanted to set boundaries out of concern, but Shelton’s on-brand reaction kept their unhinged insult battle going. “And he’s like, ‘Buddy, you hit me as hard as you want. You will never go too hard',” Levine said, recalling Shelton’s reaction. Levine went on to admit that he got “more sensitive” at times than Shelton. The ‘God’s Country’ singer, who’s married to Gwen Stefani, coached 23 seasons of the singing competition and won nine. 

As for Levine, he coached 17 seasons of ‘The Voice’ and took the champion’s trophy three times. Although he abruptly exited the show in 2019, he made a comeback as a coach this year for season 27. Shelton made an appearance in the season's finale, which reignited his and Levine's hilarious banter and frenemy dynamic. In a video released on ‘The Voice’ YouTube page, the duo hurled insults at each other like in the old times. In the video, Shelton started insulting Levine's clothes, saying, “Maybe gloves and a sweater with a turtleneck would be better.”

Levine replied that it’s a look that Shelton should try because it would be different and perfectly set the stage for the punchline. “It would be different, which is something you’ve never done, anything different,” he added, making Shelton crack up. Shelton, who appeared as a special guest for the season 27 finale. The Country legend also graced the stage with a performance of his song, ‘Texas.’ 

Levine made his brief comeback for season 27, but he won’t be continuing his streak of appearances on the show. He won’t be coaching the upcoming season, which will feature his fellow judge Michael Bublé for the third consecutive time. Season 27 wrapped with Team Bublé's Adam David winning the title. The singer confirmed his exit during his appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last month. “I'm gonna confirm the rumors are true,” he said at the time. Although he didn’t detail the reason behind his leaving, he admitted to being “excited” over his other endeavors, including a new single release.