Blake Shelton is back on The Voice set, giving fans a surprise reunion with one of the show’s most familiar coaches.
NBC announced on September 16 that Shelton would return for The Voice: 30th Season Celebration, a special marking the singing competition’s milestone season. Shelton left the show in May 2023 after more than a decade in the coaching chair.
A preview shared by the show shows Shelton arriving on set with his wife and former The Voice coach Gwen Stefani. He also joins original coaches Adam Levine and CeeLo Green for a roundtable discussion about the early days of the series. Christina Aguilera is the only original coach not included in the reunion.
The special looks back at how different The Voice was when it first premiered in 2011. Host Carson Daly and Levine recalled the unpredictable atmosphere of the early seasons, with Daly admitting that they had no idea what they were doing when the show began.
Levine agreed, saying the early years were “crazy.” Stefani added that she had heard stories about the show being like the “wild, wild west,” where almost anything could happen.
One preview even revisits a funny moment when a contestant asked for a sip of sarsaparilla and Shelton waved him over to share his drink.
The reunion also comes as the music industry and the way artists build careers have changed. The Voice showrunner and executive producer Audrey Morrissey recently explained that signing a record deal was once the main path for artists hoping to use the show as a career platform, but that is no longer the only route.
Shelton’s return quickly excited fans, many of whom said the show has not felt the same since he left. Viewers praised the reunion with Stefani and called for Shelton to return as a full-time coach.
One fan said the moment was exactly what they needed, while another wrote that The Voice “isn’t the same anymore without Blake.”
Other viewers said they still miss his presence and praised the warmth and honesty he brought to the show. Some also expressed hope that appearing in the special might convince Shelton to return for another full season.
For now, NBC has only announced Shelton’s appearance in the anniversary special, not a full-time return to the coaching panel.
The Voice: 30th Season Celebration airs September 17 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC and will stream on Peacock the following day.