OFFICIAL: Reba McEntire To Replace Blake Shelton On ‘The Voice’

It’s official – country superstar Reba McEntire has joined The Voice Season 24 as a coach. 

This marks her debut as a coach, following Blake Shelton’s exit, however, this isn’t her first time appearing on the show.  

McEntire previously served as a mentor to Team Blake during the first season of the singing competition show and also returned during Season 23 to act as the “Mega Mentor.” 

The Country Music Hall Of Famer shared the exciting news on social media along with the caption, “There’s a new Coach in town! See you all this Fall!”

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“It’s so much fun to be back on The Voice again,” McEntire said in a recent interview on The Jennifer Hudson Show, referring to her time as a “Mega Mentor.” “It’s always a lot of fun to give advice because I study people when they perform, and I want to be touched when they’re singing to me.”

Gwen Stefani, Niall Horan and John Legend will also return to their big red coaches chairs on NBC’s The Voice.

Stefani will celebrate her seventh season on The Voice, Horan will serve as a coach for the second time and Legend will make his return after a brief hiatus to welcome his new baby.

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“I love finding new talent online and things,” Horan told NBC Insider ahead of his Season 23 debut. “So I really wanted to get involved and find a new crop of talent that we can nurture and make careers of.”

“My family’s growing, I have a new album out, I’m ‘gonna do a little bit of touring, and so it’s probably better that I take a break,” Legend previously told Entertainment Tonight. “…But I’ll be back on The Voice, just not this coming season.”

Many fans may not realize that Reba McEntire was originally offered a role on the debut season of NBC’s The Voice. 

“It is very true,” McEntire shared in 2020 during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. “It was a very popular show in Holland, I’m pretty sure, and I watched the tape, and I said, ‘No, I’m going to pass on that’ because I don’t think I could ever be able to tell somebody that they’re terrible or go find another job or hope you like your nighttime job. I couldn’t do that day in and day out. I just couldn’t do it, so I did pass on it.”

Shelton ultimately stepped in. The show took his career to new heights and he went on to appear on The Voice for 23 Seasons. He is also the winningest coach in the history of the show with nine wins. 

“He’s done a wonderful job,” Reba acknowledged at the time. 

She later admitted that she regrets turning down the opportunity.

“Oh, sure,” she said. “I mean, after you see a very successful show that’s been running, what, 15 years? Uh, yeah! I’m like, ‘Shoot, I should’ve done that.’”

While chatting with ET’s Online Country, she also previously revealed that it’s going to be hard replacing Shelton.

“Who could fill Blake’s shoes?” she questioned, before admitting that it’s going to be a difficult task finding a replacement for Shelton. “To fill Blake’s chair? Wow. That’s gonna be tough. He did a great job, and kudos to him.”

However, McEntire did tell ET host Cassie Di Laura that she’s a “gypsy at heart” so she doesn’t want to commit to anything long-term.

Season 24 of The Voice is set to premiere this fall and will air on Mondays (8/7c) and Tuesdays (9/8c). The show will also stream next day on Peacock. 

The Voice returns to NBC tonight with the Live Semi-Finals with remaining contestants Holly Brand (Team Kelly) D. Smooth (Team Kelly), Sorelle (Team Chance), Ray Uriel (Team Chance), NOIVAS (Team Blake), Gina Miles (Team Niall), Ryley Tate Wilson (Team Niall), and Grace West (Team Blake).