Blake Shelton admits that being a stepparent isn't easy. Luckily, he had a role model who helped him learn how to be a good stepdad to his stepchildren. Blake has been a stepdad since 2021 when he married Gwen Stefani. Gwen has three sons from her marriage to ex-husband Gavin Rossdale: Apollo, 9, Zuma, 15, and Kingston, 17.
Blake has previously spoken about how eager he was to be a stepdad. Having a dad who was also a stepdad to Blake's brother, Richie, made being a stepparent a lot less intimidating for Blake.
In a recent conversation with Donna Farizan on TODAY, Blake opened up about being a step parent to Gwen Stefani's kids from her previous marriage. "I've had step-parents," he said. "I think it's, in some ways, harder, more difficult."
"I try to be careful about when to step back and be smart about when to step back and just talk, but no matter what, I'm always there if I'm needed," he continued. Last year, Blake spoke about how his own dad had been a role model.
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"My dad, when he married my mom, my mom had a baby, my brother, Richie," he explained to Good Morning America at the time. "And he took Richie on and raised him from the time he was 1 years old and my brother never thought of my dad as anything other than his dad."
Because his dad was a stepdad, Blake said he didn't have any doubts about becoming a stepparent when he married Gwen Stefani. "'You got three boys? Awesome!' My dad did it. My dad raised me. I could do this," he said at the time.
He admitted that although he observed his dad growing up, he "didn't know what [he] was signing up for." Still, he "was all about signing up for it." "Every day I've fallen in love with the boys as much as I do with Gwen," he shared at the time.
Earlier in 2023, Blake also spoke about how being a stepparent has changed his priorities in life. After announcing his decision to leave The Voice, he told Access that he "got a more important job."
“I think being a stepdad has changed my perspective in that I’m not the first person that I think about anymore," he explained to Access. "Even to the small little things when you go, ‘I think I’ll do this,’ the very next thought is always, ‘Well, wait a minute. How’s that going work?' Or, 'What will they think?' Or, 'How will that affect a schedule?'"
A source also previously told People that Blake is a great stepdad to Gwen's kids.
"Blake treats Gwen's kids like they're his own. They just glow when they're together," the source said.
