Blake Shelton is the country singer with a golden voice who has a legendary reputation as a coach in the singing competition reality show The Voice, but will he be part of this year’s season 24?
Shelton gained notoriety as one of the all-time great coaches that has ever graced the iconic swivel chair. In fact, he even met the woman who he would later fall in love with while being part of the show, fellow coach and No Doubt frontwoman Gwen Stefani. The pair are now married and have released chart-topping country singles as duets together, such as “Nobody Like You” and “Happy Anywhere.”
Blake Shelton’s coach status
Can’t believe it’s been 23 seasons of @nbcthevoice… and especially can’t believe today is my final episode. It’s bittersweet. When we signed up for season 1, I don’t think any of us knew what this was going to be.. These past 12 years I have made lifelong friends and memories.… pic.twitter.com/scriyGN8Re
— Blake Shelton (@blakeshelton) May 23, 2023
When it comes to season 24 of The Voice, which debuts on Monday, Sept. 25 at 8 p.m. Eastern on NBC, Shelton has hung up his cowboy boots. In his place is another country music legend, Reba McEntire, who is a brand new coach to the series, but previously served as season 23’s Mega Mentor. While McEntire has been enthusiastic on social about taking the role, she has also admitted in interviews it will be a big chair to fill.
As to why Shelton is stepping away, he explained to Access that part of his consideration touched upon the extra responsibilities of being a stepdad to wife Gwen Stefani’s kids, saying it “has changed my perspective in that I’m not the first person that I think about anymore.” He continued:
“Even to the small little things when you go, ‘I think I’ll do this,’ the very next thought is always, ‘Well, wait a minute. How’s that going work?’ Or, ‘What will they think?’ Or, ‘How will that affect a schedule?’ I think the only way for me to really do that right is to step away from being committed to something like The Voice that demands a lot of your time. There’s no way around it. If you’re going to do it and do it right, you have to be 150 percent in. And I just feel like those days are behind me for now. I got a more important job.”
Stefanie will still be a coach on the show alongside newcomer McEntire and returning coaches Niall Horan, Gwen Stefani, and John Legend. You can watch new episodes of The Voice on Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC, or catch them the following day on the streaming service Peacock.