For years, longtime The Voice coach Blake Shelton declared himself king of the singing competition show — but now that he has retired from his post, there's another self-declared king in town. John Legend has officially usurped the place left by Shelton by calling himself the new "King of The Voice."
The moment happened on Monday night's (Oct. 9) episode after Legend recruited contestant Elizabeth Evans to join his team. The college student performed a powerful rendition of Paramore's "All I Wanted," and Legend beat out fellow coach Reba McEntire to have Evans on his team. After the performance, he was feeling pretty good about himself and his team.
"Now that Blake's gone, I am the most experienced coach on The Voice," he said to the camera after the segment. "You can call me the OG. I am the King of The Voice now."
The "King of The Voice" reference comes from Season 19 in 2020, when Shelton declared himself the king. Shelton even dressed up in a king outfit to demonstrate his royal status while the other coaches (then Legend, Gwen Stefani and Kelly Clarkson) scoffed. Even then, Legend showed signs of wanting to take Shelton's crown, as he once said, "It's time to knock him off that throne."
This season, Legend may be proving his royalty, as he has recruited many talented singers to join his team. However, he has Queen Reba to contend with, as well as reigning winner Niall Horan and longtime coach Stefani. The judges have already admitted that McEntire may be one to beat on this season. Legend specifically called her "ruthless" after she blocked him from contestant Brandon Montel on Monday night's episode. The coaches will finish filling their teams as the blind auditions continue, and only time will tell how each team stacks up.
The Voice airs on Monday and Tuesday nights on NBC.
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