People Magazine (Nov. 29th 2021)

Blake on his newlywed life & his next move

Blake Shelton is keeping busy. The Voice coach, 45, is expanding his Ole Red restaurant-entertainment venue chain, unveiling plans to open a fifth franchise location on the Las Vegas Strip in 2023. Here he talks about his growing empire and life with new wife Gwen Stefani, 52, and her songs, Kingston, 15, Zuma, 13, and Apollo, 7, four months after the wedding.

You already have so much going on. Why launch a chain of restaurants?

I just love having this safe place for new artists to play. I love that this brand and these bars start with music.

Gwen just wrapped up her Las Vegas residency. Have you considered launching your own?

I started thinking about a residency way back when Garth [Brooks] was doing his. I definitely think that there’s a good chance of me doing something like that.

Vegas is also known for weddings. What was the most meaningful moment of your wedding?

It would have to be the vows that she read to me. The thing that got to me was she spoke about my [late] brother and dad as if she had known them. I couldn’t believe how hard it hit me.

You wrote your song “We Can Reach The Stars” as your vows for her. Was she surprised?

She had no clue that I had written a song. I want to shout it from the mountaintops. I’m married to Gwen Stefani, and I wrote a damn song about it. Listen if you don’t believe me!

What will the holidays look like at your house this year?

I married into an Italian family, and they take food serious. We have this tradition where we find a recipe that looks like it’d be a big challenge, like, “People can’t really make that.” The last couple of Thanksgivings, me and the boys decided on a weird turkey to make. The first year we made a Flamin’ Hot Cheetos turkey. This year is going to be bacon-wrapped.