The Voice has certainly mixed things up for its fans ahead of Season 22’s fall premiere. For one, this was our first spring without the NBC singing competition since the show debuted in 2011, as The Voice switched from two seasons per calendar year to just a single outing. The coaching panel is also getting a pretty big shakeup, with eight-time coach Kelly Clarkson stepping away, along with Ariana Grande.
As Gwen Stefani and Camila Cabello prepare to fill those spots alongside Blake Shelton and John Legend in the Big Red Chairs, The Voice is apparently making some interesting moves that have us wondering if the show might be returning to two seasons a year, and if we could possibly see Kelly Clarkson reclaim a place on the panel.
Is The Voice Coming Back For Season 23 Next Spring?
The Voice announced an open casting call on Instagram early in June, asking for interested musicians 13 years and older to register for one of four casting dates in June. With filming for Season 22’s Blind Auditions taking place June 23 and 24 (as evidenced by the show’s warm-up host Chuck Dukas’ social media activity), it would appear this casting call was for The Voice Season 23. What’s more, the singing competition’s eligibility requirements say participants must be available to travel “for several weeks at any time in October 2022 and May 2023,” which is when pre-recorded episodes and live shows, respectively, are traditionally filmed for the spring seasons, per Heavy.
And just in case fans think this might somehow still be related to Season 22, supervising casting director Michelle McNulty confirmed back in April that the casting process for the fall season was already completed. So anything happening at this point, unless there was some major catastrophe, is almost definitely for an upcoming season.
Obviously there’s been no official word from NBC on The Voice’s future past Season 22 — or even if American Song Contest will return to that time slot for a second season, for that matter — but it definitely looks like the wheels are in motion for back-to-back seasons of The Voice. If that happens, is there a chance a certain fan favorite coach might return to the Big Red Chairs as well?
Could Kelly Clarkson Return For The Voice Season 23?
If the “Since U Been Gone” singer did, in fact, just need the summer off to spend with Remington and River Rose following her lengthy and painful divorce from Brandon Blackstock, it’s definitely possible that the American Idol winner might be interested in returning to The Voice. After all, her Season 21 victory with Girl Named Tom gave Clarkson her fourth win in eight seasons, making her the show’s most successful coach, boasting a 50% win ratio. Fans also loved her fun rivalry with fellow country star Blake Shelton, and their real-life friendship might be a draw for the singer to return.
We also know she’s been able to fit filming the show into her hectic schedule before. Even this spring, when there was no new season of The Voice, Kelly Clarkson teamed up with Snoop Dogg to host American Song Contest in the same time slot. However — speaking of time slots — The Kelly Clarkson Show is reportedly undergoing a complete overhaul as it prepares to take over the coveted afternoon hour vacated by The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so there is the possibility that the Texas native’s focus will still be on her talk show by the time next spring hits.
Even if Kelly Clarkson doesn’t return for Season 23 — regardless of when it premieres — there’s always a chance she could come back to The Voice at some later point. Season 22 coach Gwen Stefani is proof of that, as none of her six seasons on the coaching panel have come back-to-back.
With Season 22 yet to premiere, there’s obviously a lot of time for all of these questions to be answered, but fans hoping they won’t have to endure another spring without Blake Shelton’s snark might just be in luck. In the meantime, be sure to check out our 2022 TV Schedule to see what new and returning shows are premiering soon.
