Gwen Stefani’s romance with country singer Blake Shelton sent shock waves through her fan base. The No Doubt singer didn’t seem to fit together with Shelton. While they seemed happy together, some fans thought the relationship represented a major change in Stefani. While Stefani and Shelton do have their differences, the relationship shouldn’t seem all that surprising. They have more in common than it might initially seem.
Gwen Stefani’s fans have found her marriage to Blake Shelton surprising
In 2015, Stefani and Shelton went public with their relationship shortly after the end of their respective marriages. Her fans were surprised by the new romance, and the changes it appeared to bring to Stefani.
“Gwen Stefani seems like one of those girls who just completely absorbs and becomes whatever man she’s with,” added one commentator on X (formerly Twitter). “Eventually they’ll divorce and she’ll have a ballad about how she lost who she was for him.”
Many said it was hard to connect her new image with the version of her they got to know in the 1990s.
“Gwen’s image now is very different from Gwen’s image when she was with No Doubt, which is when she became popular,” wrote a Reddit user. “I still think of her as a ska, bright hair, loud, with braces kind of girl. Weird thinking of her with a country boy. But people change as they get older.”
Some even felt betrayed by the relationship with Shelton.
“Gwen Stefani used to be our counter cultural queen,” wrote another user. “She betrayed us long ago and ending up with this type of man was the final nail.”
Gwen Stefani has more in common with Blake Shelton than it initially seems
While Shelton and Stefani may seem very different from the outside, she has said that they have more in common than it may seem.
“It’s definitely two different cultures. But there are many similarities, in things that we love and our morals,” she told Glamour. “But it’s really fun when you can learn about so many new things and share those differences.”
She has always been very vocal about her Catholic faith, so the emphasis she places on it as common ground between herself and Shelton is unsurprising.
“[My faith] was a seed that my mom planted in me when I was a little girl … it’s a journey,” she told Today. “It’s almost like you get lost, it’s like you get lost on your journey. We all do and we all will and I will again at some point I’m sure.”
Fans have expressed surprise that Stefani recently promoted a Catholic prayer app. Because Shelton is a country singer, fans have possibly stereotyped him as the one who has made Stefani more religious. Shelton noted that she had strong religious beliefs when he met her. He also said she’s the one who has strengthened his faith.
“Honestly, looking back, under the circumstances that Gwen and I fell in love with each other and got together, that alone was all the proof I needed, you know? She has such a strong faith in God. If Gwen was sitting here right now, she would go, ‘God, and then everything else.’ Everything else. That’s No. 1 in her life and has been her whole life.”
While Stefani appears to have more left-leaning values than Shelton — he mentioned vague support of Donald Trump in 2016 and she performed at the Obama White House — she does not speak about her political beliefs. Though she said she is all about togetherness, she also refused to label herself as a feminist or align herself with any political cause, even before meeting Shelton.
While Stefani’s style might have changed as she ages, her base values do not appear to have shifted all that much.
They still have had to find middle ground together
Still, Stefani and Shelton have their differences. She said their interests and hobbies differ, but they’ve found common ground in gardening.
“To go and just be in nature … gardening for me is this super amazing middle ground for me and Blake where we come together and we’re so into it,” she said on Lorraine in 2023. “It is so incredible. And we’re doing it at such a large level with tractors and millions of seeds, and so it’s really fun.”
