The audience of The Voice has always been deeply invested in the relationship between legacy coach and country singer Blake Shelton and his mega-star wife Gwen Stefani. The couple met while filming the series in 2014, and by November 2015, Stefani’s representatives confirmed the two recently single singers were dating after their respective divorces that summer. Since then, what viewers have seen from the couple indicates an “opposites attract” picture-perfect romance, but it seems the reality of their relationship has a more complex dynamic than pictured.

After they spent several years dating, Shelton proposed in 2020 and the couple married in July 2021. Stefani has three sons from her previous relationship with rocker Gavin Rossdale, and so integrating Shelton into her life was pretty quickly a family affair. Ten years after they first met, Shelton and Stefani are still doe-eyed about each other. At least, that has always been their public persona. But as adorable as the pair often are, Shelton admitted in a recent interview something has been irritating his wife lately. And while they don’t necessarily have “champagne problems,” the couple’s struggle isn’t exactly your typical married person squabble either. Instead, the charming duo seems to be feeling competitive lately with their recent musical projects.

Shelton and Stefani’s Charming Love Story

After they first met, the pair’s chemistry was undeniable. Look at their performance of Drake’s Hotline Bing together on The Tonight Show in October 2015. Things seemed serious when Stefani shared on social media that her new boyfriend bought her a horse for her birthday in January 2016. They had a bashful and flirty vibe during seasons of The Voice when they were both coaches after their romance took off. At every award show and red carpet appearance the couple have made together, whether past or current, the moments captured and shared by both traditional media and social media alike have always painted the portrait of an adoring and happy couple.

In an appearance on the Today show in July 2021, The Voice host Carson Daly spoke about the reason that everybody seems to root for the power couple, comparing them to “delicious fried chicken” and “a glass of champagne,” noting the duo paired comfort and class. It is true that part of the charm of the couple is their opposites attract romance, while their playful banter together always seems to reveal the strength of their bond. And while the couple seemingly love to collaborate with one another in their careers, both on The Voice and in their musical endeavors, it seems like this aspect may be responsible for introducing a discordant note in their pitch-perfect melody.

Shelton Talks Marriage Trouble on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’

In a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the host made sure to speak about Shelton’s upcoming “residency” in Las Vegas. When asked how many shows he will be performing, Shelton chuckled before admitting that his wife gets irritated with him when anyone refers to his upcoming performances as a residency, since he is only doing a run of six shows. Shelton was front row supporting his wife during the first few days of her residency in Sin City, and even took his stepson, Apollo, to watch his mother perform. For Stefani, whose residency packed in something like “60 or 70” shows, Shelton’s run of six days simply doesn’t fit in the same category. The endearing competitive dynamic that the couple established early in their relationship while on The Voice seemingly continues, and it only seems to be ramping up.

The Competition Is Heating Up for ‘The Voice’ Power Couple

In his interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Shelton was promoting his new single “Texas,” and he told a revealing story about its release date. Though he claimed it was unintentional, the single was released on the same day as Stefani’s recent passion project, a reggae-inspired pop-rock album called Bouquet. Though Shelton claimed it was simply kismet both projects released on November 15, 2024, he also sheepishly admitted that the video he filmed for the new single turned out to have the exact same concept as the video his wife had been working on, apparently without the pair having consulted each other.

During a 10-year anniversary special interview for The Voice in May 2021, Shelton said the best thing he had taken away from the series was his relationship with Stefani, noting in particular the “very complicated element of competition” that she brought to the relationship. He went on to say that he “loved the challenge.” So though Shelton claims ignorance in the recent competition between his and his wife’s musical projects sharing a release date, it seems the country singer protests too much. Kimmel laughed at the charming “coincidence” and took it as evidence the couple are meant to be together, and much of the audience of The Voice surely agrees.

Season 26 of The Voice airs Monday and Tuesday nights on NBC.