Will Reba McEntire Be Replacing Blake Shelton On “The Voice”? Hear What She Had To Say…

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A few years ago, the world found out that Blake Shelton was not The Voice‘s first choice as a country coach.

During a 2019 performance at his bar Ole Red, he admitted to the crowd, “If I’m not mistaken, they wanted Reba [McEntire] to be a coach on ‘The Voice’ first. They knew they wanted a country artist to be a coach on The Voice, to fill that lane. So they called Starstruck [Entertainment].“

Starstruck Entertainment was Reba McEntire‘s then-management company, run by her ex-husband Narvel Blackstock. Shelton, at the time, was also a client, being represented by Narvel’s son – and McEntire’s stepson – Brandon Blackstock.

The “God’s Country” singer continued, “Reba, at the time, for whatever reason — I think she may have had her [show] ‘Malibu Country’ going at the time. For whatever reason, she couldn’t do it.”

Reba confirmed this news herself during a November 2020 appearance on Watch What Happens Live, and she revealed her reasoning for turning The Voice down.

“I don’t think I could 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,” she said. 

Although she turned down the coach position, the “Fancy” singer agreed to mentor on the show for Team Blake at some point, and from a fan’s perspective, Reba seemed to enjoy her guest spot on The Voice. When pressed whether she felt she “overestimated” the show’s level of harsh criticism, Reba’s answer was a little conflicted. While Reba assured her audience that Blake Shelton was a perfect pick, the country star did admit to second thoughts.

“Oh sure! I mean, after you see a very successful show that’s been running, what, 15 years! I’m like shoot, I should have done that,” Reba admitted in with her signature good-natured tone.

Now that it’s been confirmed that the 2023 season of The Voice will be Blake Shelton’s last, everyone is wondering who will be replacing him. Many people have thought that Reba would be perfect for the show. During an interview to promote the opening of Reba’s Place, the country legend was asked if she would consider joining The Voice after Blake’s exit.

With a coy smile, Reba said, “Who could fill Blake’s shoes? That’s gonna be tough. He did a great job and kudos to him.”

See her full response here.

Along with opening her own restaurant, Reba will be busy this year, with an upcoming tour and possibly more acting jobs! She had a busy acting year last year with the ABC show Big Sky and the Lifetime movie The Hammer.