All ‘The Voice’ Singers Who Quit and Why

Tanner Frick on 'The Voice,' Hannah Goebel, and Cody Ray Raymond
Casey Durkin/NBC, Hannah Goebel/YouTube, Sofar Sounds/YouTube

The Voice has crowned more than two dozen winners, and some have gone on to modest success. The show’s also-rans, meanwhile, at least get 15 minutes of fame on the NBC reality competition. But some choose to leave the show of their own accord — including, in this current season, Tanner Frick.

So why did the music end for these aspiring singers? Below, check out the contestants who opted out of The Voice and what we know about their exits.

Anthony Riley on 'The Voice'
NBC

Season 8: Anthony Riley

Riley left The Voice midway after Season 8’s battle rounds “for personal reasons,” as coach Pharrell Williams said on the show. Amid substance abuse struggles, Riley ended up spending two weeks in rehab, according to Philadelphia magazine. He died later in 2015 at age 28.

Hannah Goebel
Hannah Goebel/YouTube

Season 14: Hannah Goebel

Goebel seems not to have elaborated on the “personal reasons” that led her to exit The Voice before Season 14’s battles, except to tell Instagram followers in a now-deleted post that she was well and that she still had her voice, per Life & Style. In a 2020 interview with Feed the Juice, Goebel said she has “nothing but positive things to say” about her experience on the show.

Cody Ray Raymond
Sofar Sounds/YouTube

Season 15: Cody Ray Raymond

Coach Kelly Clarkson had another team member withdraw from The Voice a season later, when Raymond departed ahead of the Season 15 knockouts. He, too, kept mum about his departure, saying on Twitter only that both he and his family were OK and that he had to leave the show “due to personal matters,” per USA Today.

Alex Whalen of 'The Voice'
Chris Haston/NBC

Season 23: Alex Whalen

At first it seemed we wouldn’t know why Whalen left The Voice in Season 23, since coach Blake Shelton only offered the usual “personal reasons” explanation. But Whalen gave fans the details in a YouTube video, saying that he tested positive for COVID on the day of the battle-rounds filming. “It’s unfortunate, but it is life,” he added.

Tom Nitti of 'The Voice'
Dave Bjerke/NBC

Season 24: Tom Nitti

Similarly, The Voice host Carson Daly cited “personal reasons” as the reason behind Nitti’s departure before Season 24’s playoffs. Nitti later told the Observer Dispatch that he had to bow out of The Voice at the advice of his lawyers, because his ex-wife was pursuing primary custody of their children. “I made this choice not because I missed my kids,” he said, “but because I couldn’t imagine losing them.”

Tanner Frick on 'The Voice'
Casey Durkin/NBC

Season 26: Tanner Frick

Daly announced on the first night of the Season 26 knockouts that Frick was no longer in the competition. Hours before the episode, however, Frick posted a TikTok clip of himself singing an original song, and perhaps tellingly, he captioned the clip with one of the song’s lyrics: “Ain’t nobody want me anyway.”

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  1. C

    CyanTag

    Article..find out who left the voice and why..yet we only got two whys and rest say personal reasons. There was no purpose of this article.

  2. G

    GoldCocktail

    I learned that when you are on the voice the contestants can’t post any tik toks or sing because they are under contract with the show… I think that becomes an issue for some of them. It may actually hold them from advancing thier careers.

  3. R

    Roberta Thornton

    I hope that the two from this season were offered opportunities that were more promising than the win on the voice. I love them both. I love the voice, but as we all know a win does not guarantee a career. These two are very talented and I hope they both fulfill their dreams, and we will see more of them.

  4. C

    CyanTree

    I think that the winners should receive a better gift than a trip to Disney World. They use to give a car to the top winner. The voice makes a lot of money off this show. They should either give cash or cars

  5. B

    BlueFan

    You also missed Mor Ilderton from season 26

  6. R

    RedBone

    You forgot Ryan Gallagher from season 19, he unexpectedly left during the 4 way knockout

  7. O

    OrangeLamp

    The Voice.... What performer has gone anywhere? I think it's rigged that way. Ozempic Clark and Block Shelton Vodka

    Also are in it for the $$$$$

    1. O

      OliveBoomerang

      Morgan wallen. But that's really the only one I can think of. I watch the show, but agree they just do it for money and ratings. There's too much emphasis on the coaches (who have already had a successful career) winning and less on the contestants. Imo anyway.

      1. R

        RedSeahorse

        People watch for the coaches tho

    2. O

      OrangeCoathanger

      Sounds like someone is jealous