Photo: Trae Patton/NBC
Blake Shelton is celebrating another Team Blake victory after Bryce Leatherwood was declared the winner of Season 22 of The Voice on Tuesday evening (December 13). It marked Shelton’s latest win after he announced that he will not return to the smash-hit NBC competition show for his 23rd season.
“YOUR SEASON 22 [The Voice] WINNER EVERYBODY!!!! BRYCE LEATHERWOOD!!!! I'm such a proud coach.. [Bryce Leatherwood], you are so damn deserving of this. Thank you America and GET READY WORLD!!! #TeamBlake #TheVoice,” Shelton, who performed with Leatherwood and others on the season finale, captioned a photo on Instagram as he celebrated Leatherwood’s win.
“Thank you COACH!” Leatherwood said in a tweet. “Wow what a moment I will cherish forever. God bless every contestant, fan, and member of this beautiful team!”
Season 22 of The Voice marked a bittersweet year for Shelton, a longtime coach who recently opened up about his desire to spend more time with his family, including wife and fellow Voice coach Gwen Stefani and his three stepsons. He announced in a statement in October that he would end his run as the coach with the most wins with eight victories throughout series (not counting Leatherwood's win this week). Shelton said at the time that he’s “been wrestling with this for a while,” and said the show “has changed my life in every way for the better and it will always feel like home to me.”