Blake Shelton teases future return to The Voice – but jokes he knows how Pat Sajak feels
0Blake Shelton teases future return to The Voice – but jokes he knows how Pat Sajak feels
Blake Shelton teases future return to The Voice – but jokes he knows how Pat Sajak ‘feels’ after 23 seasons on NBC show
BLAKE Shelton has revealed he may return to The Voice while unexpectedly comparing himself to Pat Sajak for the reason he took a breather.
In 2023, the country star abruptly left the singing competition, and fans have held out hope ever since that he'll return.
Blake, 47, was a mainstay on The Voice since its first season in 2011.
He coached promising artists on Team Blake for 23 seasons or 12 consecutive years.
Blake still holds the record for most wins by a coach, having won nine different seasons.
His wife, Gwen Stefani, 54, exited as a coach soon after in 2024 before its now-airing 25th season.
'WHO KNOWS?'
Blake told Extra TV in a video interview on Sunday that he's not planning an official return but he didn't rule anything out.
"I don't ever plan on working at The Voice again," he said.
He added, "Who knows? That's me sitting here as I say that right now."
"I can't say I wouldn't come by for a surprise appearance."
"That show is the greatest and most important thing I've ever been a part of in my career. It changed my life."
"When I left, I feel like I really left; we all love each other," he continued - implying there are no hard feelings.
'HOW I WAS STARTING TO FEEL'
Blake explained that he left because of the burden that nonstop filming took on him.
He compared his tiresome tenure to Wheel of Fortune's host Pat, 77.
Pat is leaving his iconic game show behind this spring after an astounding 41 straight years.
"I've done it for 23 seasons without missing a single season, you know?" Blake said.
"I know what you feel like, Pat Sajak!" he exclaimed.
"Because that's kind of how I was starting to feel."
"If you're on back-to-back seasons, there's really no time for any other thing, you know?
"If you didn't want to have a family and a life that much you could do it, but something has to give. It was time for The Voice to be thing that gives."
Pat announced in 2023 that he'd be retiring from Wheel at the end of the now-airing Season 41, he's missed only one episode due to a scary intestine surgery in 2019
Pat's last episode will air on June 7, 2024, and he has already wrapped up filming as of April 5, 2024.
Pat will be replaced by Ryan Seacrest, who will co-host with Vanna White, 66, starting this fall.
BLAKE WOULD RETURN IF...
Meanwhile, in an interview on Thursday, Blake said there was one condition in which he would definitely return to the big red chair.
He told Entertainment Tonight, “If they were ever able to put together the original four coaches again, maybe [I’d return] for one season, a one-off."
“That would be fun for me… That would be something I would be interested in doing.”
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