Blake Shelton might have been a little bit of a sore loser after Niall Horan‘s team won this season of The Voice — but to be fair, it was the country crooner’s final turn behind the red button before retirement, so one last victory would’ve been sweet.
Regardless, Shelton apparently left the former One Direction star without a single word of congratulations following the Voice newcomer’s win with contestant Gina Miles, according to Horan.
“When we left the seat, they announced the winner and I stood up, and then he came for a big hug,” Horan told People of the moments following his triumph. “I gave him a big hug, and he said, ‘I taught you everything you know.’ That’s all he said, not congratulations or anything.”
Shelton and Horan have had a jokey friendship from the very beginning of their first and last season together, a dynamic the “Slow Hands” singer confesses he’ll miss going forward.
“I’m going to miss him,” he told the publication. “He is not one of those famous friends, in my eyes. I think if I had met him outside of The Voice, I would have probably been friends with him anyway,” Horan said. “Weirdly enough, we’ve got a lot in common, we’re quite similar people. Though not in dress sense.”
And while season 23 was Shelton’s last, his wife will be returning to The Voice in his place. After taking a break from the the show this past season, Gwen Stefani is set to coach alongside Horan, John Legend and Reba McEntire for Season 24.
“I’m going to miss [Blake], but I get to work with the other half of that marriage,” Horan said of returning for next season. “I met Gwen at the afterparty for this season’s Voice. She came and surprised Blake on the last night, and she was so funny and so cool, so I’m excited.”
