Blake Shelton is ready to kick up his cowboy boots.
After announcing earlier this fall that he will be leaving “The Voice” next year, the 46-year-old country superstar is planning on pulling back big-time from show biz.
“I’ve had people say, ‘Man, come on. You’re not quitting “The Voice” [to do] nothing!’ But I really am,” Shelton told People. “Please, I’m accepting ideas.”
Shelton — who has been the only coach to appear in all 22 seasons of “The Voice” since NBC’s singing-competition juggernaut began in 2011 — will finally vacate his big red chair next spring.
“The holdup over the years has been that it’s a hard thing for me to let go of,” he said. “I’ve been here literally since the first minute.”
And the singer credits the show for boosting his own career as well as those of the contestants. “When I started on ‘The Voice,’ that was 10 years into my career as a country artist,” he said. “I never really made it to the A-level of country artists until I became a coach. The show did a hell of a lot more for me than I brought to the table at the time. I’ve far exceeded anything I thought I could ever accomplish in the entertainment world.”
Although Shelton launched a new celebrity drinking-game show, “Barmageddon” with “Voice” host Carson Daly on USA Network this week, he’s slowing down his career. “It’s time to push some of this [work] stuff out and let more family and personal life in,” he said.
Of course, that personal life includes his wife — and fellow “Voice” coach — Gwen Stefani, 53, as well as her sons Kingston, 16, Zuma, 14, and Apollo, 8, with ex-husband Gavin Rossdale.
“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. For now, that’s our kids,” he said. “This isn’t about me anymore and never will be again … I’ve made plenty of money, but you can’t buy time back.”
And with Stefani and family at their home in Oklahoma, Shelton enjoys living a quiet life.
“Gwen and I have done so much traveling and touring and work the first half of our lives that now we’re like, ‘Hey, I’m good to put my sweatpants on at 6 p.m. and watch “Ozark” eight times,’ ” he said. “That’s our life now, and we love it.”