Why did Adam Levine leave ‘The Voice’? Maroon 5 star opened up before Season 29 return: 'I was so...'
'The Voice' Season 29 has a familiar voice in the big red chair. 'Maroon 5' frontman Adam Levine returns to the hit NBC show after serving as one of the hit reality show's original coaches for 16 seasons. He exited the show in 2019 before returning for Season 27 in 2025. It was followed by another hiatus as he sat out Season 28. Now, he's back like he never left. After spending close to 10 years on the show, Levine exited 'The Voice' in May 2019 to primarily focus on managing his workload and spending time with his family. Some reports claimed that he was not satisfied with the show's format changes, but there was no official confirmation. Ahead of his break, Levine took to Instagram to make the announcement.
"I am truly honored to have been a part of something I’ll always cherish for the rest of my life," he wrote. "For me, it was time to move on. What an amazing ride." Later, he went into a bit more detail about his departure on The Howard Stern Show. Levine said family was of utmost priority at that stage of his life.
"This was the right time for me to go. For eight-and-a-half years, I was so busy. I was beyond fortunate to go through all of it because it was a life-altering experience being on that show ... and then it got to the point where I got married, I had two kids, and I wanted to spend time with them." His Season 28 absence was due to touring with Maroon 5 after the release of their eighth album, 'Love Is Like', in 2025. The US tour spanned roughly 7 weeks, from August through October.
With the band commitment complete, the 'Moves like Jagger' star is back to the show that played a major part in him becoming a household staple. "I’m back for my 18th season, and I haven’t lost my stuff. I’m still crushing it," Levine told NBC in February. "I am a piece of the show’s long lineage, so therefore, I feel like I always have an advantage."
The latest instalment of the show, titled 'The Voice: Battle of Champions', premiered on Monday. Returning alongside Levine were familiar names in Kelly Clarkson and John Legend. The latest edition of the singing competitions comes with a few changes, starting with three coaches instead of four. Each coach will have a 10-artist roster as they go toe-to-toe in a four-round competition. The episodes slated for March 2 and 9 will also be Blind Auditions.
Viewers will see contestations put through Blind Auditions, Battles, and Knockouts. This will be followed by the Semi-Finals and the Finale. A new voting system, set up in-house and in real time, will determine the journey of aspiring artists. New episodes of 'The Voice' air Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC. Each episode is two hours long and ends at 11 p.m. ET.
