Blake Shelton Feels a ‘Different Kind of Self-Worth’ Around Gwen Stefani & Stepsons

Blake Shelton is the latest People cover star, and the country crooner opened up about stepping back in his career to focus on time with his family, which includes wife Gwen Stefani and stepsons Kingston, Zuma and Apollo.

“They’ve taught me something about myself that I never knew: I’m more than just a country singer or a goofy guy. I’m someone they actually lean on, and that’s not a responsibility that I ever had and not something that I ever considered even being into,” he said of his family, noting that he feels a “different kind of self-worth” around them. “Maybe it’s the opposite of self-worth because you put yourself way down on the rung, and they move up ahead of you.”

Stefani shares Kingston, Zuma and Apollo with ex-husband Gavin Rossdale. The former couple were married for 13 years — and dated for nearly six years before that — but parted ways in 2015. Shelton and Stefani tied the knot in 2021, and have been going strong ever since. 

“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,'” Shelton said. “That’s our life now, and we love it.”

“Even though I’m a stepparent, I take that job very seriously. The kids see me as a very important person in their life,” the “Boys ‘Round Here” singer added. “[When they ask,] ‘Why isn’t Blake here?’ I take that stuff to heart. I’ve made plenty of money, but you can’t buy time back. I don’t want any regrets.”

In October, Shelton revealed that after next season, he will be leaving NBC’s The Voice, which he has been a coach on since the show premiered in 2011. “The holdup over the years has been that it’s a hard thing for me to let go of. I’ve been here literally since the first minute,” he told People. “When I started on The Voice, that was 10 years into my career as a country artist. 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.”