Adam Levine Quits 'The Voice' After 16 Seasons -- And Gets Replaced by Blake Shelton's Girlfriend

After 16 seasons serving as a coach and the bane of Blake Shelton's existence, Adam Levine has decided to leave "The Voice."

The Maroon 5 frontman's exit was announced Friday on "Today" by the show's host, Carson Daly, who said the "beloved coach and friend" would be missed.

"About eight years ago, Mark Burnett convinced us to sign up for this show where you sit in a big red chair with your back turned away from the singers on the stage," Adam captioned a lengthy, heartfelt Instagram post. "First thank-you must go to Mark. We had no idea what we were doing or where it was going. After the first day of shooting, I sat there, stunned. I said to myself, 'There's some magic here. Something is definitely happening.' It went on to be a life-shaping experience that will be close to my heart forever."

After going on to thank NBC, Carson Daly, "every single coach I ever sat in those chairs with," the band, the fans and the "amazingly talented vocalists who competed on the show," Adam turned his sights to "BLAKE F--KING SHELTON."

"I couldn't hide my love for you if I tried. Seriously, I tried. Can't do it," he wrote. "Our friendship is and always will be one for the books. Whatever this whole surreal experience was, I'm just happy I got to experience it with you. You're my brother for life. Kelly and John, take care of the cowboy, and I'm sure I'll be back to say hi very, very soon. So much love to you both."

Over the course of his time on the NBC singing competition, Adam has won three times: first in Season 1 with Javier Colon, then again in Season 5 with Tessanne Chin, and a third time in Season 9 with Jordan Smith. He also developed a hilarious rapport with frenemy Blake Shelton, who expressed his shock and sadness over the news on Twitter.

"Having a hard time wrapping my head around Adam not being at 'The Voice' anymore after 16 seasons that changed both of ours lives," he shared. "I only found out about this yesterday, and it hasn't set in on me yet. Gonna miss working with that idiot."

We'd venture to say Blake will get over the loss pretty quickly, though, because the "Moves Like Jagger" singer's replacement is the country star's girlfriend, Gwen Stefani. The No Doubt frontwoman first met Blake when she coached "The Voice" back in Season 7. She returned to coach Seasons 9 and 12.

But Blake wasn't the only castmember shocked to hear of Adam's exit; current and returning coach Kelly Clarkson was also surprised by the news.

"Found out last night about Adam leaving 'The Voice,' and while I get that he's been doing the show for a while and wants to step away, it will be weird showing up for work and he's not there," she tweeted. "To start an amazing show from the ground up is a big deal!"

Adam leaves Blake as the only remaining original coach. The most current lineup also includes John Legend, who will be returning for Season 17.

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