Another abrupt singing competition exit. Musician Alex Whalen has left season 23 of The Voice due to “personal reasons.”
While the Team Blake singer was supposed to face off against duet partner Neil Salsich for the Battle Rounds on the Tuesday, April 4, episode, host Carson Daly revealed that the U.K. rocker “could not be with us tonight” — leaving Salsich to perform solo. The 34-year-old Missouri native sang Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.”
As Blake Shelton, Whaler’s mentor, later explained on Tuesday’s episode, “Alex had personal reasons that he had to bow out of the competition.” The “God’s Country” artist, 46 — who has been a mainstay on the NBC competition series since its debut in 2011 — added: “It’s never easy to see artists going home, but Neil has a ton of charisma. He did a great job today.”
Viewers immediately took to social media to express their disappointment over Whalen’s departure.
“Bummer we couldn’t watch you again on The Voice,” one fan commented on the singer’s Instagram account. “You were missed. Prayers for you🙏💙🙏,” penned another. “@blakeshelton #TheVoice HATE that Alex had to drop out of The Voice competition!” tweeted a fan. “Hope and pray he’s okay!”
Whalen’s exit comes just days after two American Idol contestants quit season 21 of the long-running series.
On the Monday, April 3, episode of Idol, Kaya Stewart — daughter of Eurythmics singer Dave Stewart — dropped out of the competition moments before she was set to perform a duet with castmate Fire Wilmore. After Kaya, 23, tried to work through an illness, she told the judges — Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie — that she decided to leave American Idol altogether.
“I got sick at the beginning of Hollywood week and I have been trying to push myself and keep going. And during this performance, I got to work with Fire and it was such a great experience … but I realized that I wasn’t able to give 100 percent so I’ve decided to not perform. But Fire is going to perform and I’m really grateful that I got to be here.”
After the “Roar” artist, 38, asked her if it meant she was leaving the series, Kaya confirmed her departure through tears. “Yeah, so me not performing today means I’m no longer going to be in the competition. … I have to leave. I’m sorry, I’m really sorry.”
One day prior, Sara Beth Liebe revealed her decision to quit the show to be with her children after she was mom-shamed by Perry.
“I don’t think I realized quite how hard it would be to be away from my kids. They’re all still really young. I feel like I’m gonna try my best ’cause I’m here and so that’s what I should do,” the 25-year-old singer told mentor Clay Aiken on the Sunday, April 2, episode of the ABC series. “There’s a lot of guilt that comes when you leave your kids to do something completely selfish. I’m just gonna try to keep my head on straight.”
Though Perry begged her to stay — explaining the importance of “self-love” to the contestant and telling her not to “give up” — Liebe made up her mind to leave.
“I’m really humbled and grateful, and Katy had some really nice things to say,” Liebe, who is a mom of three, told the cameras after making her decision. “I’m sure that when I get home I’ll regret it. I probably will go, ‘Damn, Sara, you should have stayed, and you should have done it.’”
Her previous interaction with the Grammy winner, however, wasn’t as sweet.
During her audition, Perry — who shares 2-year-old Daisy Dove with partner Orlando Bloom — was shocked upon finding out that Liebe had three kids by age 25.
“If Katy lays on the table, I think I’m gonna die,” Liebe joked in response, while the “Teenage Dream” singer quipped, “Honey, you’ve been laying on the table too much.”
The California native later took to TikTok to reveal that she was hurt by Perry’s remark. “I think women supporting and uplifting other women is so cool, and I think that mom-shaming is super lame, and I think that it’s hard enough to be a mom and it’s hard enough to be a woman,” she said. “If you’re a good mama and you love your babies, that’s all that really matters, and other comments just don’t feel necessary.”
