Blake Shelton is a beloved coach of The Voice, and amid confusion over a possible exodus, fans will be happy to learn Shelton has no plans of leaving the red chair. Shelton is a household name for many avid viewers of The Voice, taking his seat in the coaching chair during the show’s first season in 2011. Since Shelton has been around since the very beginning, he’s become the longest-standing coach in the NBC series’s history. Shelton’s track record and well-established position have generated the most wins among the contestants, with eight championships under his belt.
As the only coach who has coached in all 21 seasons of the hit NBC competition series, many Voice fans are concerned about whether or not Shelton might take a step away from the coaching chair. Shelton is a highly-acclaimed country singer who has released numerous albums during his run on the series. With his most recent single, “Come Back as A Country Boy” released in 2021, fans of the show theorize that Shelton may pursue other projects outside of The Voice in the near future.
Concern flared into downright confusion after fans misunderstood an Instagram post made by Keith Urban. Promoting the recent season 11 premiere of The Voice Australia, Urban posted a photo to Instagram alongside fellow Australian coaches Rita Ora, Jessica Mauboy, and Guy Sebastian. The New Zealand native country singer captioned the photo, “The gang is back together and a new season of @thevoiceau kicks off tonight at 7:00!” Straightforward, sure. But not enough for some US-based Voice fans. Sadly, the post was lost in translation by multiple time zones, to say the least.
Fans mistakenly assumed that Urban would be replacing Shelton in the US-based competition instead of returning to the Australian coaching chair. “Where is Blake? Won’t be the same without him. I love Keith Urban but Blake is the man. King of The Voice. Keith is my fav but where is Blake?” one commenter wrote. Despite Urban’s caption, many Voice fans looked at the photo and falsely assumed that one country singer would be swapped out for another ahead of the 22nd season premiere. Commenters humorously commented on the post, arguing with one another over the semantics of the situation to straighten out the details. “Read the info people – this is the Voice Australia!!!!” one person commented. Another added, “Who’s Blake? This is The Voice Australia.”
While Urban nor Shelton commented on the brief havoc, Voice fans were quick to provide welcomed assurance that Shelton would not be leaving the Emmy-award-winning competition series anytime soon. Due to The Voice’s international acclaim, with competitions taking place in Holland, Italy, Brazil, Mexico, and South Korea, it’s not out of the realm of possibility for Urban to join the US-based coaching team. Without taking a moment to read an Instagram caption, it’s quite simple for mass confusion to occur, especially in the world of social media. Luckily for those that love Shelton in the coaching chair, they have nothing to worry about and can look forward to seeing him return for the NBC show’s 22nd season.
Source: Keith Urban / Instagram