John Legend Shares His Reasoning For Leaving ‘The Voice’ (Exclusive)

John Legend is preparing to take some time away from The Voice — but don’t assume he’ll be getting some down time. As the 45-year-old musician is preparing for the music competition’s semi-finals next week, he opens up to ET’s Cassie DiLaura about sitting out next season. 

“We’ve always got so many things going on. I’ll be doing a lot of shows this summer and traveling overseas this summer,” Legend shares with ET. “I’ll be back… If only I were actually going to take a break!”

Legend, Chance the Rapper, and Dan + Shay will all be stepping away from the show next season, letting coach Reba McEntire return with The Voice alum Gwen Stefani and newcomers Snoop Dogg and Michael Bublé. 

“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,” Legend shares. “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. And I’m excited that Gwen and Reba will be back too because they’re both wonderful coaches.”

Other stars who might have some coaching potential are Legend’s two eldest kiddos — Luna Stephens and Miles Stephens — whom he shares with wife Chrissy Teigen.

The kids recently visited The Voice set where they got to see the talent on Team Legend. 

“They loved it. They really had a blast,” the proud dad says. “Their favorite — not being biased, but maybe being biased — was Nathan [Chester]… I feel like my team did well with my favorite advisors.”

Legend tells ET that while it was impressive that newcomer duo Dan + Shay had three contestants entering the semi-finals, “I really think every coach has an artist that I could see winning the show.” 

As for whether he’s desperate for a Team Legend win, the EGOT winner says, “It would feel great. I’m just rooting for the artist to be their best selves, honestly.”

The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays on at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

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