‘The Voice’ Contestants Who Quit the Singing Competition Over the Years: Alex Whalen and More

Credit: Trae Patton/NBC

‘The Voice’ Contestants Who Quit the Singing Competition Over the Years: Alex Whalen and More

After impressing the coaches — and the viewers at home — several contestants on The Voice have exited the competition series over the years. In October 2018, Cody Ray Raymond was the first singer to abruptly leave the NBC hit since its premiere in 2011. The season 15 competitor wowed the star-studded coaching panel with his audition performance of “Born Under a Bad Sign” by Albert King. Although he was torn between two coaches, Raymond ultimately selected Kelly Clarkson as his mentor. However, he later withdrew from the competition before the Knockouts round due to “personal matters.” “To all my supporters and new fans, thank you for the love with my journey so far, but due to personal matters, I’ve had to bring my Voice chapter to an end,” Raymond announced via social media at the time. “I’m okay, my family’s okay, and stay tuned for new music coming. Sending love back.” Keep scrolling to see which musicians have exited The Voice over the years:

Credit: YouTube

Cody Ray Raymond

The singer dropped out of the Voice due to personal matters, assuring his fans at the time he and his family were alright.

Credit: YouTube

Ryan Gallagher

In season 19, Gallagher was reportedly removed from the show after he allegedly broke the production's COVID-19 protocols. The musician, for his part, denied the claims.

"Thank you for your concern for my family, however, everybody is fine," Gallagher said via his Instagram Story. "That's not the cause of what happened tonight on The Voice. I didn't drop out of the show. Details are still to come."

Credit: Chris Haston/NBC

Alex Whalen

The season 23 star exited the series in 2023 due to “personal reasons.” Host Carson Daly announced during an April 2023 episode that Whalen would not face off against Neil Salsich in the Battle Rounds because of his departure.

Coach Blake Shelton opened up about Whalen’s exit later that episode. “Alex had personal reasons that he had to bow out of the competition,” he explained. “It’s never easy to see artists going home, but Neil has a ton of charisma. He did a great job today.”

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Tom Nitti

Coach Reba McEntire revealed in November 2023 that Nitti had left the show ahead of her team’s season 24 Playoffs episode. “I have wonderfully talented people, but Tom had to leave for personal reasons, so I only have five artists tonight,” she told the cameras.