Blake Shelton Just Responded to Rumors He’s Being Fired From ‘The Voice’ & Replaced by Ariana Grande
With more than a decade in his red swivel chair, it would be a massive deal if Blake Shelton was fired from The Voice. Shelton joined The Voice as a coach in season 1 alongside Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera and CeeLo Green. He is the last original judge on the NBC reality TV singing competition after Green’s exit in 2013, Aguilera’s exit in 2016 and Levine’s exit in 2019.
Shelton—who met his wife, Gwen Stefani, on season 7 of The Voice—makes $13 million per season on the show, according to The Wrap. Given that The Voice films two seasons per year, this means that Shelton makes $26 million per year just from his Voice salary alone. Celebrity Insider also reported in 2019 that Shelton and Stefani received “an exceptional bonus to keep the spark alive on-camera” The source also noted that the bump made Shelton and Stefani’s salaries “significantly higher” than those of the other coaches.
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In an interview with People in May 2021, Shelton opened up about how The Voice changed his career. “When I started the show, I had been making records for 10 years with some success and some pitfalls,” he said at the time. “There were times where it was like, ‘Man, is my label gonna drop me?’ Then we’d have another okay hit on country radio. I was just hanging in there. The one thing I think attracted the producers to me was the fact that people knew me as a smart-ass, but in a fun way.” He continued, “To be honest, I didn’t think the show was gonna last. In fact one of the first conversations I ever had with Adam was, ‘Man, how stupid is this?'”
Is Blake Shelton fired from The Voice?
So…is Blake Shelton fired from The Voice? The answer is no. In September 2021, Radar Online reported that NBC planned to replace Shelton as a coach on The Voice with Ariana Grande, who joined the show in season 21, and other younger singers. “Current top ten artists like Justin Bieber, Lil Nas X, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, and The Weeknd, were all hesitant about starring on a competition show before Ariana Grande signed on,” a source told the site. “After a decade on the show, producer as quietly looking to replace Blake with someone younger and more current. Blake is great but he is not in Ariana’s league.”
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An anonymous agent also claimed that the decision to hire Grande was to make The Voice appeal to younger viewers. “It is time for a shake-up. The only way the show remains fresh is by constantly evolving. Huge stars that wouldn’t even consider joining the show a few months ago are now thinking again, thanks to Ariana,” the source said.
Shelton responded to the rumors in an Instagram posted by Grande in September 2021. In the Instagram post, Grande included a screenshot of a text between her and Shelton, in which the country singer shared an article about his rumored firing. “Thanks a lot Ari…Thanks a fuckin’ lot…,” he texted to her.
In an interview with TODAY in April 2021, Shelton hinted that he could be retiring from The Voice soon to live a “simpler life” with Stefani, whom he married in July 2021. “Do you picture yourself in ten years, you and Gwen, just out in Oklahoma, not jetting all over the place? Do you see yourself living a much simpler life way way down the road?” host Hoa Kotb asked Shelton, to which he responded, “I hope that’s not too far down the road. Ten years sounds like way too long for me. I’d like to see that sooner than later.”
He continued, “I mean, we’ve both pretty much taken it to the limit as far as our careers go and touring and now the television thing. It’s been fortunate to accomplish a lot of things. But, hopefully, at some point, we get a chance to live some life. I think we’re both ready for that honestly. The older I get, the more I feel like I’m starting to turn into a little bit of a hermit. Just passing things, except interviews with you, Hoda.”
The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC. Here’s how to watch it for free.
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