Blake Shelton’s departure from The Voice after the end of last season has left a 6’5″ gap in the show’s judging lineup and no one is feeling his absence more than his wife, Gwen Stefani.
The country singer sat in the red chairs for judging duties since the show first aired but coached a team for the final time in 2023. Still on the show, however, is Stefani who met and began dating her now-husband on the show after joining The Voice in 2014.
The “Hollerback Girl” singer now sits in the chairs with Niall Horan, John Legend and Reba McEntire — who took over from Shelton this season. However, in a recent episode of the singing competition, Stefani admitted that she’s “struggling” to excel on the show since Shelton’s departure.
After repeatedly watching contestants choose to be on the teams of her fellow judges and not her during recent blind auditions, Stefani joked that she’s not having the easiest time on the show. “I’m going to have to take my wallet out to get some people on my team,” she exclaimed.
Horan joined in on the teasing by pretending to make a phonecall and saying, “I’m calling Blake for backup!” Stefani, 54, joked back: “I already texted him. I’m struggling!”
Fans will be eagerly watching to see which judges gets their team the furthest now that Shelton, once the show’s most successful judge, is no longer a contender.
Shelton, who married Stefani in 2021, announced his departure in October 2022, ahead of his final season on the show, in a statement that read: “I’ve been wrestling with this for a while and I’ve decided that it’s time for me to step away from The Voice after season 23.”
“This show has changed my life in every way for the better, and it will always feel like home to me,” the statement continued. “It’s been a hell of a ride over these 12 years of chair turns, and I want to thank everyone at The Voice from NBC, every producer, the writers, musicians, crew and catering people, you are the best.”
As much as fans will miss Shelton, they have already welcomed McEntire with open arms and she seems to be thriving on the show — even if some behind-the-scenes claims suggest otherwise.