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He was caught on a hot mic after the shocking elimination of two of his singers. The controversial comment has some questioning his patriotism.
Being kicked off a singing competition like NBC's "The Voice" is tough for the talented contestants. But this time, it was the coach who seemed to take the eliminations hardest. After realizing he would lose at least one of his team members, Adam Levine made an off-the-cuff comment during the live broadcast.
"I hate this country," Levine said.
He immediately set off a firestorm of angry tweets.
"I think I hate Maroon 5 just as much as Adam Levine hates America," said one. Another read, "Adam Levine just said 'I hate this country' on TV... not a smart move dude, not smart at all."
Levine quickly turned to Twitter himself to apologize.
"People were calling for him to be fired from the show and deported, which I don't think is a possible thing. He tweeted, in response, the dictionary definitions of 'joke' and 'misunderstanding.' He was kind of, very cheeky about it," said Kyle Anderson, staff writer, Entertainment Weekly.
Like the Maroon 5 frontman, many viewers were shocked when one-time frontrunner Judith Hill was booted from the competition "The Voice" made Hill a standout. But she had come close to stardom prior to the show. She was hired as a backup singer for Michael Jackson. But the tour was canceled when Jackson died in 2009. And many of the remaining contestants are country singers, raising the questions of who is watching and who is voting.
"I think in the case of when you get these people who are more geared towards country music, I think that tends to be more of a safer option, a more kind of comfortable option for a lot of people, than someone who is more of a pop voice or an R&B voice," Anderson said.
After "American Idol," singers Chris Daughtry and Jennifer Hudson went on to have successful careers, despite not winning.
"It's almost never the case actually that the most talented person ends up being the victor," Anderson said.
Adam Levine later issued a statement: "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."
