“Go find another country you can love,” said an agitated viewer as he slammed Adam Levine for his unpatriotic remark on ‘The Voice’.

Adam Levine in a screenshot from ‘The Voice’. (Cover Image Source: YouTube | The Voice)

Adam Levine is one passionate coach! The ‘Maroon 5’ frontman had a memorable run on ‘The Voice’ from 2011 to 2019. During his time on the show, Levine was regarded as an invested coach, often letting his emotions run wild when things went differently than expected. In one particularly intense moment, Levine couldn’t contain his frustration when two of his team members were ousted from the show and his team was unexpectedly eliminated. The ‘Sugar’ singer was so pissed off that he blurted out unpatriotic comments, causing quite an uproar.

Adam Levine performs during the Pepsi Super Bowl LIII Halftime Show at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. (Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Kevin Winter)

The incident in question happened in May 2013 when he was caught on a live mic, saying, “I hate this country,” as per the Vancouver Sun. The outburst, which came after his team members Judith Hill and Sarah Simmons got eliminated, sparked immediate backlash online, with viewers demanding an apology, as per ABC News. Subsequently, Levine was seen nervously crossing his fingers, which showed just how emotionally invested he was in the outcome.

On X (formerly Twitter), a netizen condemned, “@adamlevine I was a fan. The comment you made is humorless…You sounded childish, and I am ashamed of you.” Another remarked, “@adamlevine you s**k. Go find another country you can love.” In a similar vein, a disappointed fan said, “Adam Levine, you blew it for Sarah – Gotye? Then ‘I hate this country’ because YOU f*cked up? Get over yourself, dude. YOUR FAULT.” Another echoed, “@adamlevine on top of everything else you are, you are a liar. You never meant for anyone to hear you spew hate. So, it wasn’t meant to be funny.”

In the face of the growing backlash, the singer tweeted several dictionary definitions for words like ‘humorless,’ ‘misunderstand,’ and ‘lighthearted,’ suggesting his remark was misunderstood and meant in jest. He wrote, “Hu·mor·less (hymr-ls) adj. 1. Lacking a sense of humor. 2. Said or done without humor”. Another tweet read, “Light·heart·ed Function: adjective 1: free from care, anxiety, or seriousness: happy-go-lucky 2: cheerfully optimistic.” In a similar vein, he tweeted, “Joke- noun 1. something said or done to provoke laughter or cause amusement, as a witticism, a short and amusing anecdote, or prankish act.”

Levine also made a statement. As per The Hollywood Reporter, he said, “I obviously love my country very much and my comments last night were made purely out of frustration. Being a part of ‘The Voice,’ I am passionately invested in my team and want to see my artists succeed. Last night’s elimination of Judith and Sarah was confusing and downright emotional for me, and my comments were made based on my personal dissatisfaction with the results. I am very connected to my artists and know they have long careers ahead, regardless of their outcome on the show.”