Blake Shelton Prepares for Christmas with Family Just after Announcement of Retirement from 'The Voice'

• Blake Shelton retired from "The Voice" after 12 years and shared his reasons.

• The show's coach now can't live without his three stepsons.

• Shelton's recent social media post with Christmas decorations raised many questions among fans.

In 2011, The Hollywood Reporter revealed the fantastic news that Blake Shelton would be joining Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine, and Christina Aguilera as a coach on "The Voice." The executive vice president of alternative programming at Universal Media Studios and NBC explained the choice at the time.

Paul Telegdy said they couldn't have a panel with the hottest American music without having an impactful country music presence. He explained that Shelton was at the top of his game then.

Telegdy shared how the musician wasn't only "charismatic" but had a passion for "collaborating with and bringing the best out of other talented artists." The then-executive vice president said that made Shelton the "perfect choice" to round off the coaches.

However, by October 2022, it appeared "The Voice" had reached the end of an era when the show's network announced some changes for its 23rd season. NBC revealed that Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper would be new coaches on the show.

Shelton and Kelly Clarkson were supposed to return as coaches, with Carson Daly remaining the host. However, it was meant to be Shelton's last season after raking eight wins and coaching 15 artists.

In an Instagram post that month, the country singer confirmed he was leaving the show after the following season. The star put his fans' minds at ease when he elaborated on why he was retiring from "The Voice."

Why Is Blake Retiring from "The Voice"?

In February 2022, Shelton confessed he didn't know what he was signing up for when he married Gwen Stefani and took on the role of stepfather to her three sons. However, he was ready for it, and each day he fell in love with the boys as much as he did with his wife.

The television personality started knowing Kingston, Zuma, and Apollo in 2015 when he began dating their mother. He and Stefani married in 2021 after her marriage to her children's father, Gavin Rossdale, failed.

Shelton said he'd not only married the pop singer but had done so "into a family." In August 2022, the country music star told Entertainment Tonight (ET) that over a year into his marriage, he was now in a "new phase" of his life, stating:

"Look, I love music, and I love 'The Voice.' I love all the cool things I get to do with my job, but those things all take a backseat now to Gwen and the kids, and it’s just a new phase of my life."

When asked how he felt about taking on the role of being a stepfather, Shelton said he took it seriously. However, he wasn't so uptight about it that he didn't enjoy it as they were five years into the relationship at the time, with him adding:

"I can't imagine my life without these kids now."

When he uploaded a mysterious post referencing the upcoming holidays, Stefani's husband's fans were left with more questions than answers. Some people wanted to know what was happening, while others guessed he was working on new music.

Why Do Fans Have a Lot of Questions after Blake's Recent Post?

On November 2, 2022, Shelton shared a post of a chair in a mini studio placed before Christmas decorations and noted how it was that time of the year as he got in the festive spirit. One Instagram user confessed that they had many questions about the post.

The songstress [Gwen Stefani] assisted her husband [Blake Shelton] in flipping a giant Timpano Italian Pasta Dome onto a serving plate.

Someone else guessed he was doing a Christmas son with fellow "Voice" coach John Legend or perhaps his wife. The person also assumed he might be doing a Christmas Eve duet with Stefani before impatiently writing:

"What, what, whaaaat?????"

In 2021, Shelton shared how his family had Christmas traditions where everyone contributed to their meal. Stefani said her mother liked doing turkey in her way, while Shelton experimented with several smaller ones.

The country star and his stepsons made a Cheetos turkey once, and that year they did a bacon-wrapped one. Stefani said that year they did mac and cheese, but it hadn't been an addition before, and something new was included each year.

The pop singer felt it was stressful, but she wanted her children to have great memories and knew she and her husband could pull that off. The first Christmas Shelton celebrated with Stefani as husband and wife saw them having a homemade Italian meal.

The songstress assisted her husband in flipping a giant Timpano Italian Pasta Dome onto a serving plate. Stefani dressed in festive colors with a black top featuring loose white, blue, and red threads, while her husband wore a two-tone trucker's hat and blue plaid shirt.