Blake Shelton makes a surprise return to The Voice season 27, and Adam Levine won’t be too happy about it

Blake Shelton may be gone on The Voice, but he’s never forgotten.

The country star left his longtime gig as a Coach on The Voice a couple years ago, but in the Season 27 premiere, it was like he was back. Well, almost. Read on to find out how he made a surprise appearance.

The Voice' Premiere Sees Incredible 4-Chair Turn & Surprise Blake Shelton Cameo

Kelsea Ballerini has a Blake Shelton button on her red chair

For her first season as a Coach, Kelsea Ballerini decided she needed some reinforcements to go up against returning Coach and multi-season winner Adam Levine. So she enlisted Levine’s friendly rival, Shelton. As she demonstrated during the episode, Ballerini seems to have a button on her red chair that she can press to play an insult Shelton lobbed at Levine in years past. “I have it for when I really need some backup,” Ballerini explained.

In fact, there are four quotes: “Adam’s a big baby,” “Adam…won’t shut up,” “Adam, you say a lot of stupid stuff,” and “Adam’s a crappy Coach.” All said with love, of course. Mostlyyubi.

Carson Daly pokes fun at Blake Shelton

Shelton may knock Levine, but Host Carson Daly is known to lob a joke at Shelton from time to time. In November 2024, The Voice’s most decorated champion posted an Instagram picture to promote his new single, and Daly quickly chimed in with a jab: “You look like a real man for once 😂.” But don’t worry: Shelton and Daly are actually very good friends, and this was all in jest.

Carson Daly Pays Tribute to Blake Shelton's Final Episode on 'The Voice'

Clearly, the Coaches are missing Shelton a bit, but he had a good reason for stepping away from The Voice in May 2023. “I think being a stepdad has changed my perspective in that I’m not the first person that I think about anymore,” he told Access Hollywood of his role to wife (and fellow former Coach) Gwen Stefani’s three sons. “Even to the small little things when you go, ‘I think I’ll do this,’ the very next thought is always, ‘Well, wait a minute. How’s that going work?’ Or, ‘What will they think?’ Or, ‘How will that affect a schedule?’”

“I think the only way for me to really do that right is to step away from being committed to something like The Voice that demands a lot of your time,” he continued. “There’s no way around it. If you’re going to do it and do it right, you have to be 150 percent in. And I just feel like those days are behind me for now. I got a more important job.”