Blake Shelton is allegedly finding himself caught in the middle of Gwen Stefani‘s rumored feud with one of his close friends in the industry. Shelton, 47, and Stefani, 53, are one of the music industry’s most solid and beloved couples but a source claims that things are slightly fractured behind the scenes in recent months.
Stefani has reportedly been going head-to-head with Reba McEntire, who joined The Voice as a judge in the latest season of the show — which is set to air on September 23. McEntire, 68, is taking Shelton’s place after his exit from the show last season and sources say Stefani didn’t take a liking to her husband’s replacement.
“They taped the blind auditions and battle rounds in July, and you could tell Gwen was less than thrilled playing second fiddle to Reba,” a source told the National Enquirer, per Radar Online. Shelton reportedly wants no part in the brewing feud due to his close friendship with the “Does He Love You” singer.
“Reba has a very outgoing personality and can suck the air out of a room,” the insider continued. “Gwen doesn’t feel like she has a chance to shine the way she wants.”
“Blake worships the ground Reba walks on,” said a source. The two musicians both hail from Oklahoma and even played siblings on McEntire’s TV sitcom Malibu Country. “She’s been such a career inspiration for him.” Recent reports also suggested Shelton and Stefani had a falling out over her friendship with his tour mate, Carly Pearce.
“In most cases, Blake goes out of his way to not ruffle Gwen’s feathers,” the insider said. “But he’s told her he isn’t going to stand for her to be anything less than polite and kind to Reba or she’s gong to be living in a house of discontent.”
We’ll have to wait until The Voice airs to find out if the alleged feud between Stefani and McEntire is real or if it’s just another case of the media pitting women against each other. What we do know is, Shelton is most definitely supportive of his replacement.
“Well, there’s a couple of things about Reba that makes her so special. First of all, she’s just so authentic,” he said of McEntire in a May interview with Extra. “I don’t know anybody country, or on the planet, [who is more authentic than] Reba, and that’s just the truth, but the other thing is her talent. … She was born with this raw, natural talent that’s just unbelievable.”