Third Time's a Charm: Blake Shelton's Long Road to Finding His Person

Blake Shelton has never been short on talent, charm, or number-one singles. But finding lasting love? That took a little longer and a couple of wrong turns along the way.

Born on June 18, 1976, in Ada, Oklahoma, Shelton grew up singing from an early age, learning guitar from his uncle at twelve and writing his first song by fifteen. His childhood, however, was not without heartbreak. When Blake was just fourteen, his older brother Richie died in a car accident at the age of twenty-four. Blake has said that Richie's love of music greatly influenced his career as a country star, and the loss has never fully left him. After graduating high school at seventeen, he packed up and moved to Nashville to chase the dream. By 2001, his debut single "Austin" had gone to number one, and country music had a new star on its hands.

Marriage, though, was a trickier business. Shelton married his high school sweetheart Kaynette Williams in a private ceremony in Gatlinburg, Tennessee in 2003, but their marriage ended in 2006. Shelton later reflected that he simply was not ready to be a husband. That chapter closed, but a far more public one was about to open.

He married fellow country star Miranda Lambert in 2011, and the two became one of Nashville's most high-profile power couples. They collaborated, toured, and inspired each other creatively. Together they even co-wrote "Over You," a deeply personal song about the loss of Blake's brother Richie that went on to win CMA Song of the Year in 2012. But the marriage ran its course. On July 20, 2015, Shelton and Lambert announced their divorce, releasing a statement saying it was "not the future we envisioned." 

Then came Gwen. Shelton began dating his fellow Voice coach Gwen Stefani in late 2015, bonding with her over the fact that they were both navigating painful, high-profile divorces at the same time. What started as mutual understanding turned into something neither of them saw coming. Blake proposed to Gwen in October 2020 at his Oklahoma ranch, and the two married in July 2021 in a ceremony officiated by Voice host Carson Daly. Through the marriage, Shelton became stepfather to Gwen's three sons, and has spoken warmly about falling in love with the boys just as much as he did with their mother.

Two failed marriages, a lot of hard lessons, and one Oklahoma ranch proposal later, Blake Shelton finally found his person. Sometimes the third verse really is the best one. 

Read Blake’s full narrative biography here.