Adam Levine, Blake Shelton's playful banter continues despite 'The Voice' exit

Adam Levine and Blake Shelton’s iconic friendship is still going strong, even if it’s full of playful jabs.

During a break from blind auditions on The Voice’s Monday, February 10 episode, Levine fired off a series of cheeky text messages to his longtime friend and former co-star Shelton.

Seated in Shelton’s old coach chair, the Maroon 5 frontman jokingly texted, “Hey, I’m in your old stupid chair now… stupid.”

Levine then followed up with, “God, I hate you,” and a string of “Haha” messages before adding, “Miss you… just kidding, I can’t stand you. Are you getting these?”

As he waited for a response, Levine rolled his eyes in mock frustration before sending one last text, “Fine whatever. You suck eggs.”

According to People, Shelton, known for his dry humor, finally replied after 10 minutes with a single word: “Unsubscribe.”

Moreover, this season marked Levine’s highly anticipated return to The Voice after departing in May 2019.

For 16 seasons, he and Shelton shared a beloved on-screen rivalry that fans adored. Now, with Shelton having exited the show in May 2023, Levine has taken over his chair.

While speaking with People about his comeback, Levine couldn’t resist taking another dig at his friend. 

In regards to this, he joked, “The best part about being back with The Voice family is that I don’t have to deal with Blake Shelton. I just don’t like him. So, it’s been great not having to be around him. He’s a bad friend…”

After a brief pause, he clarified, “I’m just kidding. Of course, I love Blake.”

Furthermore, Levine has now joined fellow coaches Kelsea Ballerini, Michael Bublé, and John Legend, though he admitted no one could truly replace Shelton, as per the publication.