Season 23 of The Voice hasn’t even started airing yet, and the fireworks are already exploding between real-life friends and on-screen rivals Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson. The competition’s two winningest coaches are set to face off in the cowboy’s farewell season, and after the talk show host took a jab at Shelton amid a heartfelt message to her longtime colleague, the country star has retaliated. The “God’s Country” singer threw a shot right back at Clarkson, and I could not be more excited to see how this friendly feud continues to thrive on our screens.
Ahead of the March 6 season premiere, which Blake Shelton announced will be his last, Kelly Clarkson acknowledged that he is the “ultimate'' coach of The Voice. However, she then joked that his exit following Season 23 is actually a “gain for humanity,” because we get to see less of him. The country star responded in kind, telling E! News there was one possible way to get him to stay for a 24th time:
I'd like for Kelly to not be on the show anymore. I just think there's too much Kelly Clarkson on television, in general.
Wow, Blake Shelton isn’t just talking about the OG American Idol champ’s presence on The Voice, but apparently her other projects too, including, presumably, the Emmy Award-winning talk show The Kelly Clarkson Show. She also co-hosted American Song Contest, which replaced The Voice on NBC’s 2022 spring schedule, so her fellow coach seemed to be coming for all her projects.
If the ribbing between the coaches has already begun, I can’t wait to see the music superstars take their feud to the actual show. The coaches’ antics usually play a pretty big role, particularly in the pre-recorded portions of the seasons, so I'd imagine the Clarkson-Shelton feud will be on full display in the upcoming episodes.
Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton’s rivalry has proven to be a reason for viewers to tune in. When the “Because of You” singer joined The Voice in Season 14, it was the first time Shelton had real competition when it came to attracting country music artists. The cowboy was forced to combat that in Season 21, frustrating Clarkson by constantly undermining her knowledge of the genre.
She’s also proven she can beat him. While Blake Shelton has had nine artists raise the trophy in his 22 seasons for the highest number of wins, Kelly Clarkson has won four times out of eight, giving her a 50% win rate.
Another reason their feud is so fun to watch is that there’s no real animosity between the two. The same couldn’t always be said for Blake Shelton’s rivalry with former Voice coach Adam Levine, which included F-bombs and threats to crash Shelton’s wedding to Gwen Stefani. Kelly Clarkson, meanwhile, leaned on the “No Body” singer during her divorce, celebrating those wins with her Voice family.
Season 23 is almost here, but to hold us over until Monday, take a look at the early days of their “sibling rivalry”:
If that’s the energy they’re bringing to The Voice this season, it’ll definitely be interesting to see how rookie coaches Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper handle the rivalry. The Blind Auditions kick off at 8 p.m. ET Monday, March 6, on NBC, and be sure to check out our 2023 TV schedule to see what other premieres are coming soon.
