On October 11,  announced he is leaving  after Season 23 ends in 2023. The news came as a shock to fans, since Shelton is the only coach to appear on ever season of the show.

Shelton opened up about his choice to leave  in a new cover story for . He said it was “” the show because it’s been a huge part of his life for so long. But now he wants to spend as much time as possible with his wife, , and her three sons, Kingston, Zuma, and Apollo.

“If I walked away from my career at this time, the only thing that I run the risk of is having regrets that I’m missing out on some more important things in life,” Shelton said. “For now, that’s our kids. This isn’t about me anymore and never will be again.“

Shelton opened up about being a stepfather, and how much that means to him:

“Even though I’m a stepparent, I take that job very seriously,” he said. “The kids see me as a very important person in their life. [When they ask,] ‘Why isn’t Blake here?’ I take that stuff to heart. I’ve made plenty of money, but you can’t buy time back. I don’t want any regrets.”

Once he’s done on , Shelton is looking forward to enjoying some downtime with his family at home in Oklahoma:

“I’ve had people say, ‘Man, come on. You’re not quitting The Voice [to do] nothing!’” he said. “But I really am…It’s time to push some of this [work] stuff out and let more family and personal life in.“

Watch the video below to hear Shelton speak more about being a stepdad. We wish him the best after he leaves …though he’ll certainly be missed!