Season 24 of The Voice starts soon, and there will be some big changes when the series returns to NBC.
One of the biggest will be Blake Shelton’s absence for the first time since the singing competition started in 2011.
Blake has been a staple of the show as other coaches came and went and often even came back again.
One of the reasons Blake gave for walking away from The Voice was that he wanted to spend more time with his wife, Gwen Stefani, and her three sons.
And that’s interesting because Gwen is actually returning to the show for Season 24 after sitting out for Season 23.
Reba McEntire has been announced as a replacement for Blake, and that’s been very exciting for The Voice fans. However, something she said recently makes us wonder if she’s cut out for a competition like this.
Reba McEntire just might be too nice
Ahead of the new season, Reba has been doing press to get viewers excited about Season 24 of The Voice.
While speaking with Newsweek, Reba admitted that she felt a lot of pressure trying to fill Blake Shelton’s shoes. She also touched on who she is as a person and how viewers may see her on the show.
“I can’t be a mean judge. I mean, when I turned it down 15 years ago, when they wanted me to do The Voice,” Reba explained. “I said, I can’t tell anybody that they’re horrible. I can’t say to somebody, ‘Well is your mama gonna meet you at the bus station? Because you’re going home.’ I can’t do that.”
Reba went on to share how she manages to coach her team properly while still remaining nice.
She continued, “So I learned from John [Legend], Gwen [Stefani] and Niall [Horan]. Every day that we’re working on The Voice, I’m learning more from them how to let ’em down easy if they don’t get picked up, coach ’em, and if you can give them any advice whatsoever.”
While Reba claims she learned how to “let them down easy,” sometimes people really just aren’t cut out for a singing competition. Seeing how she deals with a situation like that should be interesting.
Here’s who will join Reba McEntire as coaches on The Voice
Everyone seems excited for Reba to join the panel of coaches on The Voice this season. It’s her first time in the chair, even though she’s been asked to do it before.
Niall Horan is returning this season after making his debut as a coach in Season 23.
John Legend is also returning. He took a season off but, in all, has coached for eight seasons, including the one coming up.
Gwen Stefani is also returning after taking a season off. She met and fell in love with Blake Shelton on the show, so it makes sense that it holds a special place for them both. This will be her seventh season sitting in the chair.
The Voice premieres on Monday, September 25 at 8/7c on NBC.