Kelly Clarkson may not be joining rival Blake Shelton in the Big Red Chairs when The Voice returns for Season 22 this month, but she still has thoughts about how things are going to go down between new coach Camila Cabello and the cowboy. The Kelly Clarkson Show host had some strong but friendly competition with Shelton, but it doesn’t sound like the OG coach is going to have a problem refocusing his attention on the rookie, who is set to take the seat next to him. In fact, Shelton’s already started his trolling campaign against Cabello.
Kelly Clarkson, who recently celebrated 20 years since winning American Idol, had some kind words for Camila Cabello in regards to the “Bam Bam” singer replacing her on the NBC singing competition. She also had the perfect reaction to Cabello being in such close proximity to Blake Shelton, joking to ET:
Good luck with that. Bring a shield.
Kelly Clarkson certainly knows what the country star is capable of in trying to win on The Voice. The crossover artist had some blunt critiques of Blake Shelton in Season 21, when he constantly tried to undermine her expertise in country music. Without the talk show host to take aim at, the cowboy has to find a new target for his ribbing, and it’s unlikely that his wife Gwen Stefani — who is returning to The Voice as a replacement for Ariana Grande — will be that rival.
Even so, Camila Cabello seems like she can hold her own, Kelly Clarkson said, and she’s confident that the Cinderella cast member will thrive in Season 22. She said:
I think she’s gonna just excel in that situation. I think she’s very comfortable in her skin and I think that’s what it takes to be a coach and to be able to coach people. You have to be comfortable first and foremost. So I think she's gonna do well and I hope she kicks his ass.
It may be her first season as a coach, but Camila Cabello is no stranger to The Voice, as she was part of John Legend’s team as the Battle Advisor last season. She’s also got something in common with Kelly Clarkson, in that she had a successful run on a competition show as part of Fifth Harmony on The X Factor in 2012.
It will be exciting to see how this new foursome works together, but many are still holding out hope that Kelly Clarkson might return to The Voice someday, and sooner rather than later. After taking the summer off to spend time in Montana with her kids, the talk show host is set to take over the coveted time slot previously held by Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey, so it’s understandable that The Kelly Clarkson Show would be her primary focus at the moment.
It’s been a long hiatus for The Voice, as it moved from two seasons per calendar year to just one, but the wait for Season 22 is finally almost over. The series will return at 8 p.m. ET Monday, September 19, on NBC. Be sure to check out our 2022 TV schedule to see when other new and returning shows are premiering.
