When relationships don’t work out and there are children involved, many parents try to remain a united front for the sake of consistency. We’ve seen divorced couples like Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen talk about co-parenting, and even Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have played nice at their little ones’ sporting events. Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale, meanwhile, have allegedly taken a different approach, and it sounds like Blake Shelton wants to be a big part of that. He opened up about how he sees his role as a stepfather to Kingston, Zuma and Apollo.
Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani’s relationship started in 2015, a year after meeting as coaches on The Voice. Both were going through tough divorces at the time — Shelton with fellow country singer Miranda Lambert and Stefani with the Bush frontman. Shelton and the Stefani were together for six years before tying the knot in 2021, and the country singer opened up about how he approaches his relationship with his wife’s three sons, telling TODAY:
I've had stepparents. I think, in some ways, it's more difficult. I try to be careful about when to step in and be smart about when to step back, but no matter what, always be there if I'm needed.
Blake Shelton said he drew on his own experience of having stepparents to help inform his role in the boys’ lives. It sounds like he is “careful” to defer to Gwen Stefani — and possibly their father Gavin Rossdale as well — but above all, he is there to support his stepsons.
The “God’s Country” singer has talked before about what he’s learned about parenting since getting together with Gwen Stefani, as he realized he’s more than a goofy country star and that he now had a responsibility to put the boys’ needs before his own.
His recent reflection comes months after Gavin Rossdale opened up about his and Gwen Stefani’s co-parenting relationship, in which he basically said they don’t have one. The two hold “particularly opposing views,” he told the Not So Hollywood podcast, and there’s not much similarity in their parenting styles. However, the Bush singer doesn’t see that as a bad thing, saying it provides his sons with “incredible perspective” and the ability to choose pieces from each of their upbringings to carry forward.
Like Blake Shelton, Gavin Rossdale emphasized that the most important thing is that Kingston, Zuma and Apollo know that regardless of whose house they’re at, “they’re loved and supported.”
The three boys certainly seemed to be part of Blake Shelton’s reasons for stepping away from The Voice after 23 seasons, as he said if he would have stayed on the show longer, he would likely regret missing out on more of the important things in life, “and for now, that's our kids,” he told People. Hopefully he has gotten to enjoy more time with family over the last few months, even with Gwen Stefani returning to the singing competition for its first post-Shelton season.
You can watch her in action on The Voice, which airs at 8 p.m. ET Mondays and 9 p.m. ET Tuesdays on NBC. Episodes are also available to stream the next day with a Peacock subscription.
