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NBC’s The Voice Season 23 marked Blake Shelton’s final season with the series. Shelton was the country music staple, and his singers won more often than any other coach on the series. Fans are sad to see him go, as he helped numerous contestants reach their full potential on the show. So, will The Voice Season 24 ratings sink without Shelton coaching?

Will ‘The Voice’ Season 24 fail without Blake Shelton?

Blake Shelton from 'The Voice' laughing while surrounded by fans with foam fingers
Blake Shelton from ‘The Voice’ | Tyler Golden/NBC

NBC gave The Voice Season 24 the green light, but fans won’t see Blake Shelton return. After 23 seasons, Shelton’s calling it quits on the series. He wants to make more time for his family, as he has stepchildren with Gwen Stefani.

“I think being a stepdad has changed my perspective in that I’m not the first person that I think about anymore,” he explained to Access. “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.”

So, will The Voice go down without Shelton at the helm as a coach? It seems likely that the show will retain most viewers. Adam Levine left The Voice after season 16. As a big-name coach, fans were concerned that his absence would tank the show. The Voice Season 16 (with Levine) had over 10 million viewers, while The Voice Season 17 (without Levine) had just under 9 million viewers. With that said, the average number of viewers throughout the season was similar — over 8 million.

The Voice Season 23 had fewer viewers during the premiere — a mere 6.436 million. The season averaged about 5.8 million viewers. The current fans of the series are likely here to stay. Plus, many fans are excited to see Reba McEntire take over.

“The show will be fine,” a fan on Reddit noted. “I’ve said this elsewhere, but Reba is a lot funnier than people realize and she’ll bring a lot of charisma to the show. She’s going to grow on people.”

“The Voice will actually do better without Blake,” another fan guessed. “It will gain a whole new audience because the Blake block of votes encompasses country but now other more relevant genres will be able to shine. I don’t think Blake fans will vote for Reba the same way they did for him. BLINDLY.”

There’s alleged tension between coaches Reba McEntire and Gwen Stefani

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Reba McEntire joins The Voice Season 24 as a coach, and she’s joined by Gwen Stefani, Niall Horan, and John Legend. Fans are looking forward to seeing McEntire take over for Blake Shelton. But there’s already alleged drama between her and Stefani.

“Gwen is gunning for Reba” so she “falls in line,” a source alleged to Radar Online.

“Blake has been the king of the coaches since the start of the show and Gwen saw his departure as a chance to really shine and take over the reins,” another insider alleged.

Despite the alleged feud, Shelton’s said how excited he is to see McEntire take over. “First of all, she’s just so authentic,” Shelton told Extra. “I don’t know anybody country, or on the planet, [who is more authentic than] Reba, and that’s just the truth, but the other thing is her talent …. She was born with this raw, natural talent that’s just unbelievable.”

Elements of this story were originally reported by TV Series Finale.

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