The 2023 People’s Choice Country Award for Social Star went to Blake Shelton! The Grand Ole Opry member was obviously stunned as he accepted the trophy from Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina.

“I moved to Nashville in 1994, and man, I had a lot of dreams. This was not one of them,” Shelton joked from stage. “I don’t even know what this means, but if the fans want me to have it, I’m damn well gonna put it on my mantel. Thank you so much.”

Shelton, who previously gave Toby Keith the People’s Country Icon Award, is enjoying watching The Voice this season for the first time, after bidding farewell to the show after 23 seasons.

“I think it’s been the most important chapter of my life,” Shelton told Extra. “If I look back at everything, all the way back to being a kid back in Oklahoma, I think so many things happened during this portion of my life since signing on to this show, and what it did for my personal life, what it did for my career, new friends I’ve made. It’s just been a once-in-a-lifetime thing.

“I’ve had a lot of friends who have been very successful in this business, who told me early on when The Voice took off, it’s like, ‘This’ll never happen again, just so you know. Very few times does a show become this big, and you get to take this ride,’” he added. “And now looking back after 12 years, I can see what they mean… It’s like hitting the lottery getting to be a part of something this special.”

It was his three stepsons, which he gained when he married Gwen Stefani,  which became the impetus for him leaving the successful TV show.

 

“If I walked away from my career at this time, the only thing that I run the risk of is having regrets that I’m missing out on some more important things in life,” Shelton told People. “For now, that’s our kids. This isn’t about me anymore and never will be again.

“Even though I’m a stepparent, I take that job very seriously,” he continued. “The kids see me as a very important person in their life. [When they ask], ‘Why isn’t Blake here?’ I take that stuff to heart. I’ve made plenty of money, but you can’t buy time back. I don’t want any regrets.”