‘The Voice’: Gwen Stefani Pays Tribute to Husband Blake Shelton in First-Ever Episode Without Him

The Voice premiered this week and coach Gwen Stefani found an opportunity to pay tribute to her husband Blake Shelton, a former fellow coach. In the first-ever episode without Shelton, Entertainment Tonight reports that Stefani wore her “Shelton” and “Stefani” necklaces, keeping her loving husband close to her heart as the show embarks on a new season without him. In 2022, Shelton announced that he would be leaving the show at the end of Season 23, which concluded earlier this year.

“It’s been a hell of a ride over these 12 years of chair turns and I want to thank everyone at The Voice from NBC, every producer, the writers, musicians, crew and catering people, you are the best,” The country music superstar wrote in an Instagram post last October. “It takes a lot of work, passion, and adult beverages (Ha!) to pull off a live show twice a week.”

“I have to give a huge shoutout to the singers-the ‘voices,’ who come on this stage season after season and amaze us with their talent and a special thanks to those who chose me to be their coach,” he continued. “It’s about y’all, the fans, who watch and support these artists, us coaches and everyone at The Voice who are chasing their dreams. It would not happen without you!”

It was previously announced that Reba McEntire has been tapped to replace Shelton, which the country music icon told Newsweek was “a lot of pressure because nobody can replace Blake Shelton. He’s a huge personality and a wonderful person. So I’m just getting in there trying to have fun and represent country music as best I can.”

McEntire went on to praise the show’s crew, saying, “It’s a well-oiled machine, so getting in at this time is marvelous. Everybody knows the game plan, from the crew, the producers. Everybody on the show is so nice, so sweet, and have been so helpful. I’m loving it.” 

The singer then shared what kind of judge fans can expect her to avoid being, and noted how she opted not to join the series prior to its debut in 2011. “I can’t be a mean Judge,” she said. “I mean, when I turned it down 15 years ago, when they wanted me to do The Voice, I said, ‘I can’t tell anybody that they’re horrible.’ I can’t say to somebody, ‘Well, is your mama gonna meet you at the bus station? Because you’re going home.’ I can’t do that.” The Voice airs on Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. PT/ET, on NBC.