John Legend says he will be doing "a lot of shows over the summer" after leaving The Voice

John Legend, the American singer and songwriter recently opened up about why he will not be returning for the next season of The Voice on NBC but would still be busy with music.

On May 14, 2024, the 45-year-old spoke with Entertainment Tonight's Cassie DiLaura about sitting out season 26 of the singing competition. He said,

"We've always got so many things going on. I'll be doing a lot of shows this summer and traveling overseas this summer. I'll be back… If only I were actually going to take a break!"

Fellow season 25 coaches, Chance the Rapper and Dan + Shay, have also opted out from not joining the next season.

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Coach John Legend explains reason for leaving The Voice

John Legend has been a part of The Voice since season 12, when he joined as an advisor. However, it was not until Season 16 that he got his own Coaching chair, and helped helped folk singer Maelyn Jarmon to victory. Legend has only missed season 23 since starting as a coach.

For season 26, Reba McEntire, who joined the cast last season following Blake Shelton's departure, and the show's alum Gwen Stefani, will return as judges. The two will be joined by newcomers Snoop Dogg and Michael Bublé. John shared in an interview with Entertainment Tonight that,

"It's exciting to incorporate some new people into The Voice family. Having Snoop here, he's been here as a mentor before, but having him as a coach, I think is going to be a lot of fun and reinvigorate the show a bit. We've been around for 25 seasons and part of how we continue to stay fresh is introducing new coaches to The Voice family, and I think Michael and Snoop will do really well."

The singer also said that he was "excited that Gwen and Reba will be back" as they are "both wonderful coaches".

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Legend talked about his children visiting The Voice

John Legend shares four children Luna, Miles, Esti, and Wren with American model Chrissy Teigen. The couple got engaged back in December 2011 and tied the knot on September 14, 2013, in Como, Italy.

The two eldest, Luna Stephens and Miles Stephens recently visited their father on the set of The Voice. John spoke about the kids' experience and their favorite contestant saying,

"They loved it. They really had a blast. Their favorite -- not being biased, but maybe being biased -- was Nathan [Chester]… I feel like my team did well with my favorite advisors."

The five artists headed to the finale of season 25 of the singing competition are Bryan Olesen (Instant Save Winner), Josh Sanders, Asher HaVon, Karen Waldrup, and Nathan Chester. Nathan and Bryan are on Team Legend. John Legend told ET that he found it impressive that newcomer duo Dan + Shay got three contestants into the semi-finals. He talked about the prospect of winning the show saying,

"I really think every coach has an artist that I could see winning the show. It would feel great. I'm just rooting for the artist to be their best selves, honestly.

The Voice airs on NBC on Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET, with the season 25 finale scheduled to air May 21, 2024.

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John Legend will be part of the Blue Note Jazz Festival from August 30 to September 1, 2024. He will be headlining the show with Jill Scott and André 3000. There will also be several performances throughout the event from artists Andra Day, Common, Nile Rodgers, Ledisi, and more.