The Controversy That Surrounded CeeLo Green's Exit From The Voice
Trigger warning: This article mentions allegations of sexual assault.
There have been plenty of singing competition shows, but none like "The Voice." When "The Voice" aired in 2011, it took a new spin (literally) on what people thought a singing competition would look like. Four celebrity judges would decide whether the talent was good enough to continue their journey to becoming a singer. However, what made this show so different is that the judges had to choose without seeing the person.
Season 1 of "The Voice" had some heavy-hitter celebrity judges including Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, and CeeLo Green. During the first season, Green was at the peak of his career. He was wildly popular for being involved in the duo group, Gnarls Barkley, with the hit song "Crazy." However, true success came for the musician when he officially decided to go solo. In 2010, he released his hit single, "F*** you!," which topped charts everywhere and earned the singer four Grammy nominations.
Because of his success, people were eager to join his team when the NBC show aired in 2011. Although he never had any wins, Green had plenty of finalists throughout his time on the show, per Screen Rant. In 2013, after four seasons on the show, the musician officially decided to step back and leave the show. Now, many judges have come and gone on the show, but what made Green's departure from the show so interesting is that it involved a lot of controversy.
CeeLo Green had trouble with the law upon exit from 'The Voice'
CeeLo Green faced some serious accusations during his time on "The Voice." According to the Los Angeles Times in 2012, a woman claimed that the "Crazy" singer drugged and sexually assaulted her. The unnamed victim claims that over dinner, Green had given her ecstasy, and "she woke up to find herself naked in a bed with the singer." Green continued to claim his innocence, and his lawyer shared that all sexual encounters he had were "consensual relations." An investigation was immediately launched into the accusations.
The musician only made the situation worse when he tweeted a message suggesting that sexual relations are consensual if the person is passed out. Over time, however, authorities found that the woman's story had a lot of "problems" that failed to prove the singer had sexually assaulted her, per TMZ. Because of this, the sexual assault charges were dropped. According to Page Six, the drug case was the only part of the investigation that the singer was charged with after he pleaded no contest in 2014. He was sentenced to 3 years probation and 45 days of community service.
These were some serious allegations made against the singer. Not long after the news broke, Green abruptly exited "The Voice," in 2013. Rumors swirled that the network was about to fire the singer, so he decided to leave. However, the musician is saying that simply is not the truth.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
CeeLo Green wasn't fired from 'The Voice'
Because of all the controversy surrounding CeeLo Green during his time on "The Voice," many assumed he was about to get fired from the singing competition show. However, in 2014, the "F*** You!" singer set the record straight and said he chose to leave the show, per Us Weekly. He said, "It easily and quickly became a job. Very, very obligating ... Taxing and tiring ... I still tip my hat to Adam [Levine] and Blake [Shelton] and those guys who continuously do it, but I think I ran my course there just naturally."
Green even told Us Weekly that there was no bad blood between him and the network as he left "amicably." He said, "I've got some very great memories there. It really has everything to do with me having the leverage to go elsewhere and be a success as well." Green was talking about his upcoming show, "CeeLo Green's The Good Life," which later got canceled due to his insensitive tweets, per BuzzFeed.
Although he thought he was finished with "The Voice," Green seemed to change his mind. In 2015, he told the Associated Press he would gladly return to the singing competition show. He said, "I've talked very possibly about doing 'The Voice' again. So I just kind of put that out there, wishful thinking, kind of willing it. Because I would love to do it again." However, his career was tainted as the public wondered about a shady side, and the singer never returned to the show.