Unsubstantiated rumors that Reba McEntire is leaving The Voice have been swirling, and now the singer has responded. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), McEntire set the record straight and assured her fans that she is not going anywhere.
“Please do not click on any articles that say I am leaving The Voice. This is not true,” McEntire wrote in her post. “These are fake websites to lure people in with clickbait where they claim I have a company to sell weight loss gummy products. This is false. I do not sell or promote any type of gummy product.”
McEntire joined The Voice in 2023, replacing Blake Shelton, who exited after serving 23 seasons as a coach. Speaking out about taking over for Shelton, McEntire told Newsweek, “It’s a lot of pressure because nobody can replace Blake Shelton. He’s a huge personality and a wonderful person. So I’m just getting in there trying to have fun and represent country music as best I can.”
The country music legend went on to praise the show’s crew, saying, “It’s a well-oiled machine, so getting in at this time is marvelous. Everybody knows the game plan, from the crew, the producers. Everybody on the show is so nice, so sweet, and have been so helpful. I’m loving it.”
McEntire then shared why kind of judge fans can expect her to avoid being, and noted how she opted not to join the series prior to its debut in 2011. “I can’t be a mean Judge,” she said. “I mean, when I turned it down 15 years ago, when they wanted me to do The Voice, I said, ‘I can’t tell anybody that they’re horrible.’ I can’t say to somebody, ‘Well, is your mama gonna meet you at the bus station? Because you’re going home.’ I can’t do that.”
The Voice Season 26 premieres Monday, Feb. 26, on NBC.