Kelly Clarkson Rejoining The Voice For Season 30

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The Voice has missed Kelly Clarkson since she’s been gone. 

Good news for fans: three-time Grammy winner Niall Horan will be a coach on Season 30 of The Voice this fall, NBC announced on May 7th.

Kelly Clarkson is returning as a coach on The Voice this fall! The show’s official account announced her return on Instagram with a video highlighting her best moments.

Another announcement celebrated Kelly Clarkson’s return, inviting fans to “Please give a warm welcome back to Coach Kelly Clarkson!” She’ll be joining fellow coach Adam Levine for the new season.

Even though Kelly hasn’t been a full-time coach for three years, she recently appeared as a judge on season 29 of The Voice, known as The Voice: Battle of Champions. This special season, which started February 23rd, featured a new format with exciting additions like the Triple Turn Competition and Super Steals, and included guest appearances by judges like CeeLo Green. She judged alongside Adam and John Legend.

After winning Champions, Adam is back for season 30 hoping to win again.

Maroon 5’s lead singer told People magazine in April that he plans to return. He said he’s really enjoying his time and has had a lot of fun being involved for the past few seasons, hoping to continue as long as the show wants him.

The original coach from season one of The Voice has been a part of the show for 18 seasons, and Kelly Clarkson has been a coach 10 times. Even though he’s been on the show longer, he and Kelly are currently tied for the most wins as coaches.

Kelly Clarkson is starting a new phase in her career following the conclusion of The Kelly Clarkson Show on February 2nd. In a post on Instagram, the singer reflected on the show’s seven seasons, expressing her gratitude for the incredible experiences and acknowledging the amazing work of her band and crew.

Keep reading to catch up on everything you need to know about The Voice before Kelly’s big comeback.

The winner of The Voice receives a recording contract with Universal Music Group, though the exact financial details aren’t publicly available.

Although NBC and the show’s creators haven’t officially said how much the winner receives, reports suggest the last contestant remaining gets $100,000.

Previous winners of the show have confirmed they receive prize money. For example, Todd Tilghman, the winner of season 18, told People magazine in 2020 that the winnings would help cover his expenses for a while, and he wasn’t sure what the future held.

He also mentioned that, because he’d promised his children a Disney World vacation, he’d probably end up spending money on that as well.

Not that the value of the music opportunities that open up for the winners should be discounted.

In May 2025, season 27 winner Adam David of Team Bublé told Parade that he has a collection of songs and wants to work with his songwriter friends. He plans to release music and then go on tour.

Besides directly contacting singers like Frenchie Davis – who hadn’t been on American Idol for eight years – The Voice used to hold live auditions across the country. Now, the show finds talent online. Judges review video submissions and select singers who might then get to perform for the coaches, hoping at least one coach will choose them.

Participants need to be at least 13 years old to audition. During their audition, they have 90 seconds to introduce themselves and sing a song of their choice. The show recommends choosing a song that showcases their voice and personality as an artist.

According to executive producer Audrey Morrissey, judges spend five to six days listening to auditions, with about 18 to 20 performers each day. Once a contestant is chosen for the blind auditions, they spend several days rehearsing with the show’s band, getting fitted for clothes, and practicing their stage positioning before their actual audition, Morrissey explained in a 2018 interview.

The show also involves filming introductory packages for the contestants and their families, which came as a surprise to Ddendyl Hoyt, a former contestant from season six. She explained to the Washington Post in 2014 that she didn’t realize reality TV was filmed like a scripted drama. “Everything is shot in separate segments,” she said, “and that’s actually the most time-consuming part of the whole process.”

You can try out for the show as many times as you like, but only once per season. Even if you don’t succeed in the initial rounds, or if you make it to the auditions but don’t get on a team, you’re welcome to try again next season.

In a 2023 interview with Newsweek, coach Reba McEntire, who previously guided Asher HaVon to victory on season 25, explained that she doesn’t like to be overly critical as a judge. She prefers to offer constructive feedback, like suggesting contestants return the following season with a song that better showcases their strengths and comfort level, and encouraging them to keep trying.

Starting with season 28, a new “Carson Callback” card was introduced. It allows host Carson Daly to give a contestant who didn’t receive any chair turns a second chance to perform.

The show’s huge wardrobe team makes sure contestants look fashionable once they’ve joined a team and are ready to perform.

We carefully select outfits for each artist to create stunning visuals,” Morrissey explained to SheKnows. “Then, for each live performance, we tailor those looks to fit the specific show.

The celebrity coaches aren’t necessarily working around the clock, but they’re dedicated to preparing their teams for the battle rounds and everything that comes after.

According to Morrissey, the coaching lasts for four days, while the competitions themselves run for two.

The level of involvement a coach has with each performer really varies, she explained. Some coaches enjoy being heavily involved in all aspects of the performance, meticulously planning every detail. Others prefer to concentrate on the musical side – the song itself and how it’s arranged.

Morrissey also noted that some coaches prefer to communicate by text message, while others use email. He explained that all communication between coaches and artists increases as the competition progresses and more is at stake.

Former contestant Hoyt explained to the Post that the show isn’t just about the singers themselves. He said, “A lot happens behind the scenes – the staff, including vocal coaches, the band director, and even the producers, all give you feedback and guidance.”

In a September 2025 interview with Access Hollywood, Snoop Dogg highlighted the unsung heroes of the entertainment industry. He explained that the crew and support staff work incredibly hard to make everything run smoothly, allowing performers like himself to simply focus on their job onstage. He feels they don’t receive enough recognition for their efforts.

Between coaches and artists, Morrissey said, “The No. 1 communication is about song choice.”

Artists can share their opinions on which songs to perform, but ultimately the coaches usually make the final decision.

Frenchie, a contestant on the first season of the show who was coached by Christina Aguilera, told Cosmopolitan in 2021 that it was often funny when the judges criticized a song choice, because the contestant hadn’t actually chosen the song themselves.

However, season 24 winner Huntley praised his coach, Niall Horan, for guiding him, telling NBC Insider that the former One Direction member has a real talent for choosing songs.

Before the show begins, potential contestants are evaluated to make sure they can handle the stress. Throughout the competition, and even after it ends, mental health experts are available to support the artists.

As someone who’s been through it, let me tell you, taking care of your mental health on shows like that is essential. After you leave the stage, immediately following elimination, you’re ushered into a room with a counselor. It’s not just a quick check-in, either. They really want you to process everything because honestly, you won’t experience anything quite like it again. It’s a truly intense experience, and you’re thrown into it so quickly that you’re not emotionally prepared. It’s a bit traumatic, and that post-elimination debrief is genuinely needed to help you navigate it all, as I experienced firsthand.

The coaches are experts in their fields, and their iconic red chairs have changed over time, but always feature the ability to swivel with the touch of a button. In 2018, the chairs were updated with a new feature: three extra buttons that allow each coach to block another coach, once per round, from adding a contestant to their team.

These chairs are designed with comfort in mind, much like a luxury car seat. They feature a sturdy aluminum frame, a sleek finish, and even self-adjusting heaters – Snoop Dogg joked they’re the best at keeping you warm! They also include two cup holders, a feature specifically requested by former coach Blake Shelton.

Perkins says the impressive ‘whoosh’ sound you hear when the chairs swivel on the show isn’t actually captured during filming – it’s added later in editing.

Honestly, it’s so subtle you barely register it. I’ve noticed, especially when I’m really concentrating and performing for the people in the studio, it just fades into the background. It’s amazing how easily you can tune things out when you’re lost in the music!

Friendly banter between the coaches has always been a fun part of The Voice, but over the show’s 16 seasons, it was often hard to tell if Blake Shelton and Adam Levine were genuinely annoyed with each other, or if they were just playing up their rivalry for the cameras.

Blake described their relationship as intense and complicated, telling The Tennessean in 2017 that they frequently argue and get genuinely angry with each other. He explained they share a deep, almost inexplicable connection, like those two people everyone knew in high school – a bond that can bring out both their best and worst qualities. He characterized it as a volatile relationship, adding that he knows exactly how to provoke his counterpart.

Translation: “He’s one of the best friends that I have, but I still want to kill him sometimes.”

And even though they haven’t competed against each other since 2019, Adam knows what the fans want.

The original coach shared a photo from the after-party for season one of The Voice, joking about having dips and tagging Blake Shelton. He posted it as a preview of his return to the show in February 2025 for season 27.

These days, you rarely see coaches publicly sharing each other’s personal phone numbers online.

Niall explained in an interview with NBC that he was worried their on-screen chemistry would feel fake. He didn’t want their interactions to seem overly enthusiastic just for the cameras – like they were putting on a show for Snoop Dogg. He admitted he was nervous about doing the show in the first place, because he didn’t want their relationship to come across as forced, but he’s happy to say it hasn’t been.

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2026-05-08 01:18