Is Ariana Grande bringing some big changes to The Voice? One magazine claims her star-power is pushing veteran coach Blake Shelton right out of his chair. After looking into the rumor, here’s what we found.
Blake Shelton ‘Better Watch His Back’ On ‘The Voice’?
A recent edition of the National Enquirer reports The Voice might be saying “thank you, next” to Blake Shelton after signing on superstar coach Ariana Grande. It’s no secret that Grande is one of the biggest names in music, and the magazine insists she poses a huge threat to Shelton. “Blake is the only original coach left on The Voice, but after a decade it’s time to shake things up. That’s why the show is quietly looking for a replacement for Blake,” says an insider.
“Signing Ariana changed everything. For the first time ever, the show has a relevant superstar who is scoring number-one singles on the charts. Blake is great, but he’s not in Ariana’s league,” the source goes on. The next season also features returning coaches Kelly Clarkson and John Legend, but the outlet insists NBC wants to appeal to a younger audience in future seasons. Producers are looking to sign Gen-Z’s favorite artists like Justin Bieber, Lil Nas X, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, and The Weeknd as coaches.
Younger ‘Voice’ Fans Tired Of Blake Shelton?
The tabloid isn’t wrong in noting that Grande is a superstar — and it’s true her addition has brought new interest to the show from younger fans. However, she is far from the first “relevant” artist to become a coach. Both Miley Cyrus and Nick Jonas coached for multiple seasons and had major hits in the last few years. And all of the show’s vocal coaches are successful and prominent musicians in the industry. Furthermore, the show has boasted some major mega-mentors to guest coach during the battle rounds, like Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, and Snoop Dogg. This is hardly the show’s first taste of “star-power,” so we doubt it’s marking any major changes for the program.
Of course, Shelton may be on his way out for other reasons. While Shelton hasn’t confirmed any kind of timeline, he expressed his desire to settle down with his wife Gwen Stefani in the not-so-distant future. When Today‘s Hoda Kotb asked if Shelton planned to take a step back from the business, he replied, “Well, I hope that’s not too far down the road,” adding, “I’d like to see that sooner than later.”
Shelton went on, explaining that he and Stefani have “both pretty much taken it to the limit as far as our careers go and touring and now the television thing. It’s been fortunate to accomplish a lot of things, hopefully, at some point, we’ll get a chance to live some life. And I think we’re both ready for that, honestly.” Even if Shelton does say goodbye to The Voice sometime in the near future, we doubt it will be because he’s being pushed out by Lil Nas X or Olivia Rodrigo.
The Tabloid On Blake Shelton
But it’s hard to believe this story when the National Enquirer has a history of getting it wrong about Blake Shelton. Earlier this year, the outlet claimed he was pushing Kelly Clarkson off the show after his teasing went too far. Then the tabloid alleged Clarkson was leaving The Voice because of Shelton’s ties to her ex-husband. The magazine also reported Shelton was trying to adopt Stefani’s sons. And more recently, the publication claimed Stefani was concerned Shelton was gaining too much weight. Clearly, the Enquirer can’t be trusted when it comes to Shelton.