During Monday’s episode of The Voice, Kelly Clarkson announced Cody Ray Raymond would no longer be part of her team on the show.
It was also revealed he wouldn’t be giving a final performance, as he was leaving the show because of “personal reasons”.
The 27-year-old singer had previously confirmed to fans on Twitter that he had dropped out of the competition, but didn’t dive deeper into the issue. He did, however, say that his family is okay and so is he.
https://twitter.com/codyrayraymond/status/1055579798523658240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1055579798523658240&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Flife%2F2018%2F10%2F29%2Fvoice-fan-fave-cody-ray-raymond-leaves-personal-matters%2F1815062002%2F
Raymond won over Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson during the blind auditions with his live version of Born Under a Bad Sign.
During his audition, he talked about spending a year at the North Pole with the military, and he eventually chose to go with Kelly and her team.
Cody also posted a message on his Instagram about his departure on the show.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BpX1SO8lHP2/?hl=en&taken-by=codyrayraymond
His use of the phrase “come back to my roots” left some fans speculating that he maybe left the show because of its format.
Many took to Instagram and Twitter to share their messages of support with Cody. One said: “Sad to see you leave (you’re my favorite on season 15) but am excited for your new music.
“I’m glad the voice has made you reach a bigger fan base. I wouldn’t have found you had you not been on the voice.”
Cody Ray, originally from Albany, Oregon, but who now lives in Tacoma, Washington, was taught guitar – and kung fu — by his stepdad.
His NBC bio reveals that he didn’t originally want to pursue music, only doing so after moving to Seattle following his time posted at the North Pole with the military.
His band is called Cody Ray & the New Favorites and they often perform in the city.
You can check out Cody Ray’s audition below.
The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8/7c on NBC.