On Tuesday (May 23), Blake Shelton ended his 23-season run as a coach on The Voice. Saying goodbye to the longtime fixture (and comedic foil) of the series was clearly bittersweet, with Shelton's former team members showing up to surprise him with a heartfelt and emotional performance. But it also means Shelton will have more time to spend with his wife, pop queen and fellow The Voice star Gwen Stefani, and his three stepchildren.
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"I want to finally have the opportunity to say yes to more stuff in my personal life and not say, 'Let me check,' or just flat-out no," the "God's Country" singer told ET Online.
But Stefani isn't the only important relationship Shelton formed during his 12 years on The Voice. He also developed a lifelong bond with BFF Carson Daly.
"He's become one of the closest people in my life, to be honest with you," Daly has said. "We're very close, which is ironic because I -- obviously, you know, I'm a producer on the show, I'm involved in recruiting coaches. I've talked some people into doing the show. And he was the person I knew the least. And so it's just ironic that 10 years later, he's the one that I'm definitely closest with. Our families vacation together at this point, and so I'm very grateful. Aside from what the show, from an employment standpoint, has done for me and my family, you know, my friendship with Blake is probably the next best thing I've yielded by being on the show."
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And the love for Shelton extends throughout the entire Daly family. In honor of Shelton's final run on The Voice, Daly's wife, television writer and producer Siri Daly, shared memories of how Shelton became part of the Daly family, along with photos of the country singer posing with the Daly children.
"Sometime around April of 2011, when Carson signed on to host a new singing competition show that felt different than it's predecessors, we met Blake Shelton," Siri Daly wrote. "It was then that the giant, dimpled cowboy with his signature 'HA!' became part of our family... for better or for worse. For worse? He likes to take really candid, really ugly photos of you when you're not looking."
While Daly of course had to reference Shelton's playful nature and signature sense of humor that won over so many fans of The Voice, she also gave insight into Shelton as a friend who "loves with his whole heart."
"He is gentle, hilarious, delights my kids, looks you in the eye and listens, loves with his whole heart, eats fried calamari with his whole belly, worships Gwen, and is a true brother to my husband," Daly continued. "While I'm sad to see you say goodbye to @nbcthevoice, BS, you're stuck with the Daly fam... for better or for worse! (You try snapping an ugly photo of Blake, it's impossible, uggggh)."
Carson Daly, who's been the host of The Voice for all 23 seasons, officiated Shelton and Stefani's 2021 wedding. Daly and Shelton co-host the USA show Barmageddon alongside former WWE star Nikki Garcia.
