'The Voice' drops major season 29 update — but one beloved judge's absence has viewers buzzing
'The Voice' just dropped a big update about the next season of the NBC singing competition as fans hope for their favorite coaches to return to the show. For the unversed, 'The Voice' was renewed for season 29 earlier this year in July. At that time, it was announced that the upcoming season of the show titled 'The Voice: Battle of Champions' would have a brand-new format. The new instalment of the fan-favourite singing show will feature three veteran coaches, vying for the title of the best coach on 'The Voice'. The coaches who will be returning for season 29 include Adam Levine, Kelly Clarkson, and John Legend.
On November 14, NBC announced the premiere date of 'The Voice: Battle of Champions' through an official post on the show's Instagram account. The caption of the post read, "Season 29 is officially unwrapped! #TheVoice: Battle of Champions premieres February 23 9/8c | @nbc and Peacock." Several fans of 'The Voice' expressed their excitement about the show's upcoming season in the comments section. One social media user wrote, "Why do we need to wait forever for this? :sob:." Another user commented, "Putting in my calendar."
Some users, however, voiced out their concerns about one veteran coach not returning. The viewers were disappointed to learn that Blake Shelton wasn’t a part of the judges' panel. One fan commented, "Champion season should include Blake Shelton. He has won the most and he was asked to come back." Another netizen went on to say, "BLAKE BETTER BE COMING BACK!" A third fan chimed in, "But hello where is Blake for this??" Another netizen begged, "Please please bring Blake back."
Speaking of Shelton, he served as a coach on 'The Voice' from season 1 to season 23. Throughout his time on the show, Shelton managed to win a record-breaking nine times. Shelton bid adieu to 'The Voice' after season 23, which ended in May 2023. During an interview with Access Hollywood, Shelton talked about his departure from 'The Voice' and shared, "I think being a stepdad has changed my perspective in that I'm not the first person that I think about anymore. Even to the small little things when you go, 'I think I'll do this,' the very next thought is always, 'Well, wait a minute. How’s that going work?' or, 'What will they think?' or, 'How will that affect a schedule?' I think the only way for me to really do that right is to step away from being committed to something like The Voice that demands a lot of your time."