‘The Voice’: Adam Levine’s Favoritism and 3 Other Surprising Scandals on the Show
Compared to other competition shows like American Idol, The Voice is fairly drama-free. Since its premiere in 2011, the show has become more about witty banter between the coaches and contestants on stage than any awkward moments or feuds behind the scenes. However, The Voice has not been completely clear of problems over the years. Many longtime viewers likely remember former coach Adam Levine‘s infamous favoritism in season 15 — here’s a closer look at what happened, plus other scandals in The Voice history.
Adam Levine had an awkward scandal on ‘The Voice’ Season 15
Levine, who recently made headlines for allegedly cheating on his wife, had a cheating scandal of sorts on The Voice. In season 15, the longtime coach threw one of his teammates, DeAndre Nico, under the bus. His other teammate, Reagan Strange, was forced to sit out of her Instant Save performance because she was sick. Nico was also on the chopping block that night and performed for his chance at the save, but Levine begged viewers to vote for Strange. He said he wanted to fight for the teen because she couldn’t fight for herself.
Many fans were outraged over the incident because it was unfair and embarrassing for Nico. The following week, The Voice showed a clip of Nico telling Strange there were no hard feelings. However, in an interview with 12NewsNow, he said it felt like Levine “sold him out.”
‘The Voice’ fans were outraged at CeeLo Green’s return in season 15
The Voice and the Maroon 5 frontman had already faced backlash earlier that season. Levine invited former coach CeeLo Green to mentor his team during the Battles. While Green was once a beloved cast member on The Voice, his return was controversial due to sexual assault allegations made against him. In 2012, the rapper was accused of drugging a 33-year-old woman with ecstasy. The woman claimed that she woke up naked in Green’s bed the next morning.
Green was not convicted of assault, but he did face drug charges for the ecstasy and pleaded no contest. He later faced criticism again for tweets relating to the incident.
Levine left the singing competition in season 17. Rumors circulated that his departure from The Voice was connected to his decline in popularity after the season 15 scandals. However, inside sources claimed he left because of unwanted changes to the show.
Rumors circulated that Christina Aguilera and Gwen Stefani had an ongoing feud
Christina Aguilera and Gwen Stefani never coached on The Voice at the same time, and many viewers chalked that up to animosity between the pop stars. Specifically, rumors circulated that Aguilera, who coached off-and-on for six seasons, had a problem with Stefani’s relationship with fellow coach Blake Shelton.
“Christina said that it was her show and gave a really big spiel about how she thinks that Gwen used this Blake thing to try and stay on the show,” an alleged source told Radar Online in 2016.
Thankfully, Aguilera finally put the rumors to rest two years later. She told W Magazine that her decision to leave The Voice for good had nothing to do with Stefani — she just didn’t want to be part of a “money-making machine” anymore.
“It never had anything to do with any one person at all,” she said. “And, I actually think it’s really cute Blake and Gwen found love in that chaotic environment. I fought for a long time to get two females in the chairs.”
Guy Sebastian’s cheating scandal on ‘The Voice’ Australia made waves in the US
Another scandal on The Voice originated in Australia but made its way to the U.S. version of the show. In 2020, The Voice Australia coach Guy Sebastian was accused of cheating when he turned his chair around for Wolf Winters despite his team being full. Producers tried to convince Kelly Rowland to bring Winters to her team, but she felt forced into giving up a spot. They ultimately decided to give Sebastian an extra spot on his team for Winters.
Many fans of The Voice feared the same issue could happen in the U.S., but coach John Legend confirmed on KIIS FM’s Kyle & Jackie O Show that the buzzers are deactivated when a team is full. Sebastian later revealed that the entire situation was orchestrated by producers to stir up drama — it certainly worked.
New episodes of The Voice air on Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. Next-day streaming is also available on Peacock.
How to get help: In the U.S., call the RAINN National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 to connect with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area.
