Adam Levine’s $30mn exit from ‘The Voice’ was bold — but his silver-haired return might be bolder
Adam Levine shocked fans when he announced his departure from 'The Voice' after sixteen seasons in 2019. However, in a dramatic turn of events, the' Maroon 5' frontman made a grand comeback and returned to his coaching duties with' The Voice' Season 27. While Levine is eyeing victory in the latest installment, his absence from the previous season was surely felt. However, it's not only fans who yearned for Levine, as, if reports are to be believed, the singer also missed out on something substantial.
Levine's decision to walk away from 'The Voice' reportedly caused him the loss of an estimated $28–$30 million, as per Cinema Blend. As per rumors, Levine earned millions despite reportedly having signed contracts for Seasons 17 and 18. NBC had already planned two more seasons for Fall 2019 and Spring 2020, and Levine’s salary was said to exceed $14 million per cycle. According to The Hollywood Reporter, his decision to leave wasn't financially motivated but instead pointed to growing fatigue, with Season 16 showing signs he no longer enjoyed being a coach. One telling moment came during NBC's upfronts at Radio City Music Hall, where Levine appeared disengaged while fellow coaches energized the crowd, making it clear that his heart was no longer in it.
Levine first teased about his 'The Voice' comeback with a nostalgic Instagram video filled with fan comments begging for his return, including one from former fellow coach Blake Shelton, who wrote, "BRING ADAM BACK!!!" In a chat with E! News, the 'Payphone' singer said that he "just felt like it was time" after taking a break to focus on family and personal growth. While he admitted he didn't miss the show during his time off, nostalgia eventually pulled him back.
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"The only way to sum it up is that just energetically...the opportunity came at the right moment, and I was really ready," he told an NBC Insider. "It didn't involve too much deliberation or overthinking. I kind of just felt ready." Levine joined returning coach John Legend, newcomer Michael Bublé, and first-time coach Kelsea Ballerini, though this will be his first season without longtime frenemy Blake Shelton, who left the show after Season 23 to focus on family life with Gwen Stefani.
Not only that, Levine also grabbed major headlines with his hair transformation in the show, prompting fellow judges to take shots at him. "When we showed up today, Adam’s new hairdo [was] the talk of the town," Bublé revealed in a confessional. He continued, "Listen, I don't want to talk out of school, but there's a debate backstage about what color that is." Ballerini chimed in with her own take, saying, "You could call it blonde. You could call it silver. I feel like gray is not an appropriate term to put in that collection," as per US Weekly.
Legend jokingly tied the look to Levine's return to the show, saying, "He took this OG thing very seriously. He was like, "Maybe I should come back with actual gray hair to denote my OG status." But Levine himself settled the debate, explaining, "It’s more of a platinum ice kind of white color." Eventually, all three coaches gave the look a thumbs-up. "Listen, it's Adam Levine; he can do whatever he wants," Ballerini said. Bublé added with a laugh, "He looks great. He's sexy. It’s like Dick Van Dyke and David Beckham had a baby."