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Season 23 of The Voice is well underway, and it appears that Niall Horan has made an impression on Blake Shelton. While Horan is a new coach on the reality competition show, season 23 is Shelton’s last season as a coach on The Voice. Recently, Shelton revealed that he thinks Horan will be the coach that replaces him on The Voice.

Niall Horan smiles at Blake Shelton while they sit beside each other on 'The Voice'
(L-R) Niall Horan and Blake Shelton | Evans Vestal Ward/NBC via Getty Images

Blake Shelton and Niall Horan have bonded on ‘The Voice’

Shelton, Horan, Kelly Clarkson, and Chance the Rapper are all coaches on season 23 of The Voice. This season marks Shelton’s last season as a coach on the show, and he is the only coach to have been with the show since it premiered in 2011.

As a long-running coach on The Voice, Shelton has had multiple rivalries with different coaches. His most notable rivalry has been with former coach Adam Levine. In recent years, Shelton has also formed a rivalry with Clarkson.

Even though it is only Horan’s first season as a coach, he and Shelton have already built quite a rapport. So far on season 23, the two have come across as both intense rivals and a mentor with a new mentee.

Blake Shelton thinks Niall Horan will ‘take’ his ‘seat’ on ‘The Voice’

So far, Horan has impressed the other coaches on The Voice. During the first episode of the season, Horan secured artist Ross Clayton for his team. Horan did this by walking up to every other coach’s chair and turning them around so he could speak to Clayton privately.

With this move, Horan impressed Shelton and signaled that he has the ambition and personality to entertain viewers and do what it takes to win.

“I feel like Niall is gonna take my seat on this show. Playing those kind of dirty tricks gives me confidence that he can be the liar that he needs to be to cover for Team Blake from now on,” Shelton said according to CinemaBlend.

This is not the first time Shelton has shared this sentiment about Horan. In a YouTube compilation video made by NBC, Shelton admitted that Horan could be the best choice to replace him on The Voice.

“I feel like Niall is going to take my seat on this show,” Shelton said in the video. “Niall is going to be the new king of the — I’m passing the baton on to my son.”

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‘The Voice’ Coach Niall Horan Reveals Why He Speaks Slowly to Americans

Niall Horan plans to stay on as a coach on ‘The Voice’

Even though some coaches on The Voice only stop by for a season, Horan has hinted that he could be a long-running coach on the show like Shelton.

In season 23 episode 5 of The Voice, Horan spoke to contestant Domenica Coka after she was not selected by any of the judges. Horan encouraged Coka to audition again and shared his hopes that he will still be a coach when Coka returns.

“I really do think that you need to give this another shot next year. And if they don’t fire me, I’ll be still here,” Horan said according to GoldDerby.

New episodes of The Voice air on NBC on Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.

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