The music industry has its fair share of power couples, from Beyoncé and Jay-Z to Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello. But then there's Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton: two artists from totally different genres that have somehow not only managed to make beautiful music together but also spark up a romance for the history books. Throughout Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton's relationship timeline, they've shown that they're in it for the long haul. And whether they're playfully teasing each other on The Voice or gazing longingly at each other while singing a live duet on stage, there's something about this duo's connection that's downright magical.
Stefani and Shelton first met as coaches on The Voice in 2014, but back then, both were still married — Shelton to Miranda Lambert, and Stefani to Gavin Rossdale. Once their divorces were finalized and they began dating in 2015, it didn't take long for the proposal rumors to start swirling. On Oct. 27, Stefani announced via Instagram that Shelton had popped the question — with a jaw-dropping ring, I might add — and naturally, she said yes.
But so much has happened between their first encounters on a televised singing competition and their engagement. There's been plenty of creative collaborations, PDA-packed performances, heartfelt social media tributes, and even shameless flirting on national TV. Adam Levine put it best when he told Howard Stern in 2017: "They're so in love it's disgusting."
Here's a look back on how their epic romance unfolded.
April 2014: They started working together on "The Voice."
In the spring of 2014, Stefani replaced Christina Aguilera and joined Shelton as another judge on The Voice. Both were still married at the time.
July 2015: Shelton broke up with Lambert.
Shelton and Lambert announced they were splitting up in July 2015 after four years of marriage — and just a month later, Stefani filed for divorce from Rossdale after 13 years of marriage, citing "irreconcilable differences."
Stefani later told Ryan Seacrest that they bonded through their respective divorces.
"To be super honest, it is kind of crazy we both went through the same thing at the same time," she explained.
In a June 2016 interview with Billboard, Shelton revealed: "Gwen saved my life. Who else on earth could understand going through a high-profile divorce from another musician? You can’t even imagine the similarities in our divorces."
October 2015: Sparks were flying during a late night karaoke performance.
While appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in the fall of 2015, Shelton and Stefani sang a rendition of Drake’s “Hotline Bling" — and fans were quick to notice that their chemistry was undeniable.
November 2015: Their relationship was confirmed.
Later that same month, a source told E! News that the pair showed up around the same time at George Clooney's Halloween party before then stopping by Jared Leto's. The source noted that not only were not only holding hands at one point, but they also left the second shindig together. #Busted. E! News also included photos snapped at their pal Levine's Halloween party, in which they can't seem to keep their eyes — or their hands — off each other.
"There is something going on between them and they have spent time together off set," the source told E! News. "They don't want to label anything or define it, they just really like each other and happen to be going through similar things in their lives. Gwen has spent time at Blake's house in the Hollywood Hills recently. They want it to stay under the radar and not make it a big public thing because who knows what will happen."
Finally, on Nov. 4, Shelton's rep confirmed that they were, in fact, dating.
February 2016: They made their first red carpet appearance.
Talk about a debut to remember — Stefani and Shelton looked as smitten as ever as they strutted down the red carpet at the Vanity Fair 2016 Oscars afterparty.
May 2016: They collaborated on their first song.
Shelton and Stefani have collaborated on a number of songs by now, but the first they ever co-wrote was "Go Ahead and Break My Heart," which was featured on Shelton's If I'm Honest album. According to Billboard, Shelton sent the song to Stefani when it was half-written and she surprised him by taking it in a different direction.
"She wrote a verse that was brutally honest and didn’t really go with my verse," he explained. "I was writing about her, and she made it about us. I was so taken aback by it. F*ck, she’s awesome.”
That same month it was released, the duo gave a super sweet performance of the song at the Billboard Music Awards.
September 2016: Ellen DeGeneres dug for wedding news.
Ellen DeGeneres didn't shy away from posing the one question on fans' minds when Stefani stopped by for an interview in September of 2016. When she flat out asked when they're getting married so she could "clear her schedule," Stefani simply giggled and said, "I'll let you know."
February 2017: Stefani gushed about Shelton.
During an interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Stefani couldn't stop gushing about her boo.
"Let’s just talk only about Blake, because he’s so awesome,” she said. At one point, she even dropped the "L" word to describe her feels for him.
December 2017: They spread some holiday cheer.
The couple joined forces to perform their upbeat duet "You Make It Feel Like Christmas" for Stefani’s NBC Christmas special — and as per usual, their chemistry was off the charts. They can't seem to stop smiling, and they barely ever break eye contact throughout the entire performance.
April 2018: Stefani addressed the engagement rumors on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show.'
During an April 2018 interview, DeGeneres asked to confirm if tabloid reports that they're getting married are true. While Stefani didn't confirm or deny it, she admitted that she "thinks about it all the time." She also added that her kids "love" him.
June 2018: Shelton showed his support for his SO.
Right before Stefani kicked off her Las Vegas residency, Shelton sang praises on Twitter after witnessing some of her rehearsals. She responded with the hashtag, #bestboyfriendever, which TBH, seems rather fitting.
Shortly after that, Stefani posted an IG photo series on the opening night of her residency that shows her youngest son snuggling on Shelton's lap backstage.
Then, while appearing on Sunday Today With Willie Geist, Shelton opened up about the timing of their relationship and how remarkably it's played out.
"Every day that goes by just feels like a stronger bond between the two of us," he explained.
November 2018: It's reported that they're looking to start a fam.
Just a few weeks after the couple took Stefani's kids to a Halloween party — and shared some sweet PDA — Us Weekly reported that the couple was "determined to have a child together" and was searching for a surrogate to carry their baby. While the source noted that Shelton loves Stefani's three kids (from her previous marriage to Rossdale), they said that "he wants his own child, too."
"It’s extremely important to Gwen that she give Blake a biological child, and Blake is so excited," the source told Us Weekly at the time.
That same month, Stefani released "You Make It Feel Like Christmas," featuring none other than Shelton.
March 2019: Shelton swooned over Stefani during a live concert.
When an audience member tossed a copy of Stefani's solo debut album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. on stage during Shelton's 2019 national tour, Shelton immediately picked it up and gushed about how hot she is — right before kissing her face on the cover. Afterward, he explained, "I haven't seen her in a couple weeks, so..."
May 2019: DeGeneres nudged Shelton to propose.
On a May 2019 episode of her daytime talk show, DeGeneres gave Shelton a clock with his and Stefani's faces on it. When DeGeneres offered Jennifer Lopez the same gift in the past, Alex Rodriguez proposed to her shortly thereafter. “So you’re saying there’s a chance she’s going to ask me to marry her?” Shelton joked while accepting the gift from DeGeneres. “You see how I flipped it around and put it on her?”
"Now that she knows that you're waiting for her to ask, now that she sees this, she'll ask you," DeGeneres assured him. "I'll call her tonight."
August 2019: They returned to 'The Voice.'
When Stefani returned to the coach's swivel chair for Season 17 of The Voice, it was the first time they'd both been judges together since their romance started off-camera in 2015. In a hilarious teaser for the season, Stefani says, "You wanna fight, Blakey?" and Shelton responds, "I'm gonna pay for this at home!"
January 2020: Fans speculated that they already tied the knot.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Blake revealed that the way they met and their relationship started was "not an accident" — and that they were able to "save each other's lives." But when asked whether there was any truth to recent rumors that they were secretly married, Shelton offered a vague response.
"I love the rumors," he told the reporter. "Those rumors are great. Anybody that thinks that I'm married to Gwen already, I love it. My God. Who wouldn't want to be married to Gwen Stefani?"
On Jan. 26, the couple gave a romantic performance of their latest duet, "Nobody But You" at the 2020 Grammy Awards — and after belting out the tune, Shelton bowed down to his lady love as she giggled. I can't make this stuff up, kids.
Meanwhile, a January 2020 Us Weekly report indicated that Stefani had decided not to wait for the Catholic Church's approval to marry Shelton. (Elite Daily reached out to sources for both Shelton and Stefani and did not hear back in time for publication). The couple had reportedly been holding off on getting engaged while Stefani tried to get her marriage to Rossdale annulled so that her marriage to Shelton could be recognized by the church. However, a source told Us Weekly that Shelton was getting impatient, and so Stefani had decided not to wait around for the pope's blessing.
March — April 2020: They achieved #quarantinegoals.
On March 26, Shelton announced via Twitter that not only was he was bringing back his iconic mullet, but Stefani was taking it to "the next level" by adding stripes. FYI, that wasn't the only time he trusted Stefani with his hair. He also revealed in September 2020 during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that he let her dye it once he realized how gray it was turning.
The following month, "Nobody But You" hit No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart.
"Trying to wrap my head around the fact that I even get to know you Blake Shelton — let alone be on such a beautiful classic duet w u?!," Stefani wrote in a tweet. "Thank you ! for taking me along on this ride with you!! I am so grateful and blown away by all the support everyone has shown us!"
Shelton, meanwhile, congratulated Stefani on her first county song reaching the No. 1 spot by tweeting: "Not bad for your first try!"
July 2020: Shelton released another romantic quarantine-inspired duet.
Hot off the heels of their hit "Nobody But You," Shelton ad Stefani released yet another duet, "Happy Anywhere," in July of 2020.
"Even though Gwen and I just had a single out we decided that, under the circumstances, this year… man, there’s never been a better time for 'Happy Anywhere,'" Shelton explained in a press release. "We’ve all been in quarantine and lockdown, and hopefully we've been doing that with somebody that we really love and enjoy being around. That’s what happened with Gwen and me this summer — and this entire year."
The music vid for the song features adorable footage of the couple drinking wine, cruising around in the car, baking, riding horses, and doing a bevy of other romantic activities together.
Also in July, multiple sources claimed to Us Weekly that the couple wanted to tie the knot "as soon as possible" and originally planned to go "all out" for a summer wedding before the pandemic hit.
October 2020: Shelton shared a birthday tribute to Stefani.
In honor of Stefani's 51st birthday on Oct. 3, Shelton shared a pic of him and his boo canoodling in a field together and wrote in the caption, "I’d write a song for you every single day if I could."
October 2020: Shelton popped the question.
Stefani told Extra in an October 2020 interview that she finds it "pretty cute" that lots of people mistakenly call Shelton her husband (including Dua Lipa, apparently). Well, those people won't be wrong for long — because on Oct. 27, Stefani announced their engagement via an Instagram post flaunting her ring.
According to Us Weekly, Stefani and Shelton are planning two different ceremonies: one in Los Angeles, and another on Shelton's ranch in Oklahoma.
“Oklahoma gives the couple more privacy and the possibilities are endless for a wedding reception people will talk about for years,” a source told the news outlet. (Elite Daily reached out to representatives for the couple about their reported wedding plans and did not hear back in time for publication.)
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