Reba McEntire has yet to appear as a coach on The Voice, but she is already extending her run another season. The Country Music Hall of Fame member, who was announced earlier this year as Blake Shelton‘s replacement for Season 24, has already committed to being a coach for Season 25 as well. She will be joined by newcomers Dan + Shay, who will together share a coach’s seat, plus John Legend and Chance the Rapper.
The Voice first teased the double-chair seat for the coaches, before announcing that Dan + Shay would be the show’s first-ever coaching duo.
SO EXCITED FOR THIS! https://t.co/Otzg4m1LYX
— Dan + Shay (@DanAndShay) June 22, 2023
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McEntire previously said she regretted not taking the position when it was first offered to her, before it was given to Shelton.
“It was a very popular show in Holland, I’m pretty sure,” McEntire told Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live. “I watched the tape and I said ‘No, I’m going to pass on that, because I don’t think I’d 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. Blake was the perfect choice. He’s done a wonderful job.”
Shelton had no doubt that McEntire was the perfect replacement for him, who is the only coach who had been on The Voice since its beginning in 2011.
“I’m excited about Reba coming on board,” Shelton tells E! News. “It’s meant to be, I think. I think from the versions of the story that I’ve heard, she was the original coach that they wanted here on The Voice, to be the country representation. And so now that I’ve had my run, for her to finally get the job that she was meant to have to begin with, it will be fun. I know she’s a fan of the show, and so she’s probably had ideas of how she would do this for a long time anyway.
“I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like for those kids to get a chance to work with Reba,” he adds. “She’s one of my heroes. She’s an icon.”
McEntire will be joined for Season 24 by Shelton’s wife, Gwen Stefani, along with Legend and Niall Horan.
No word yet when Season 25 of The Voice will start filming. A premiere date for Season 24 of The Voice has yet to be announced.