Photo: Tyler Golden/NBC
Reba McEntire is slated to return to The Voice next season as a coach, following her role as Mega Mentor in season 23 of the smash-hit NBC competition show. The “Fancy” superstar is set to join veteran coach John Legend and returning coaches Niall Horan and Gwen Stefani next season, per an announcement on Monday (May 15).
McEntire, who served as a Battle Advisor during the first season of the show in 2011, served as Mega Mentor in Blake Shelton’s final season of the show (which also included coaches Chance the Rapper, Kelly Clarkson and Horan). Earlier this year, she commented on whether she would ever replace outgoing coach Shelton, if offered the opportunity.
“Who could fill Blake's shoes?” McEntire said, per ET. “To fill Blake's chair? Wow. That's gonna be tough. He did a great job and kudos to him.”
McEntire recently said as she served as Mega Mentor that it’s “always a lot of fun to give advice because I study people when they perform, and I wanna be touched when they’re singing to me.”
Shelton admitted that he’d “been wrestling” with the decision for a while when he announced that season 23 would be his final season on The Voice. He said in his statement, in part, that the show has “changed my life in every way for the better and it will always feel like home to me.” The country giant announced he would end his run on the show after 12 years.