‘The Voice’: Who Will Replace Adam Levine?

The Voice fans got some shocking news on Friday, when Adam Levine suddenly decided he has had enough of the series after 16 seasons and left. NBC quickly found a replacement, but the network had plenty of options.

Levine reportedly left The Voice after 16 seasons because he did not like how the latest season played out. Thanks to rule changes, all of his singers were eliminated early on, and the finale was dominated by three Blake Shelton singers and one John Legend singer.

On Friday morning, The Voice host Carson Daly broke the news about Levine’s departure on The Today Show.

“After 16 seasons, Adam Levine, our beloved coach and friend, has decided to leave The Voice,” Daly told viewers. “Adam was one of the original coaches that launched the show, winning the competition three times and inspiring many of the artists he worked closely with over the years.”

The Maroon 5 frontman joined The Voice for its first season in 2011, and remained a constant presence on the show with Shelton. The country star will now be the only coach to appear on every season.

Scroll on for a look at who replaced Levine and who could join the show in the future.

Photo credit: NBC

Gwen Stefani

NBC’s initial plan was to bring back Levine, Shelton, Legend and Kelly Clarkson for Season 17 in the fall. However, Levine’s decision forced the network to scramble for a replacement. Thankfully, No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani was available. Stefani, who is now dating Shelton, first joined The Voice for Season 7 as a replacement for Christina Aguilera. She returned for Seasons 9 and 12, and appeared in Season 10 as a part-time advisor.

“With Adam’s departure you might be wondering, ‘Well, who’s going to be sitting in that coveted big, giant red chair?’” Daly said on Today. “And I’m happy to share this morning that Gwen Stefani will be returning for season 17. Gwen has sat in the chair before. She met her current boyfriend, Blake Shelton, through the show and we’re looking forward to having Gwen back.”

Kelsea Ballerini

Country star Kelsea Ballerini would have been an interesting choice to replace Levine and a familiar face to The Voice viewers. The “Love Me Like You Mean It” singer appeared on the show as a part-time coach for the “Comeback Stage” in Season 15, helping eliminated singers claw back to the main stage. She was also a part-time advisor in Season 16.

One negative for Ballerini might be that country music is already represented by Shelton, whose finalists made the Season 16 finale heavy on country.

Bebe Rexha

Bebe Rexha joined The Voice family in Seasons 16 as the “Comeback Stage” coach. At only 29, Rexha could have helped the coaches panel get younger, although she might not have the name recognition the other coaches have. Her recent hits include “I’m A Mess” and the Florida Georgia Line collaboration “Meant to Be.”

Jennifer Hudson

Clarkson is not the only former American Idol contestant to appear on The Voice. Jennifer Hudson first appeared on the show as an advisor back during Season 4. She returned as a coach in Seasons 13 and 15. Hudson surprisingly decided to leave The Voice U.K. in early May, after three seasons.

Tom Jones

Sir Tom Jones is the Blake Shelton of the U.K. Voice. He has been a coach on every season of the show, except in 2016. Thanks to a catalog of his dating back to the 1960s, Jones has one of the most recognizable voices in the world. He has never participated in the U.S. version of The Voice, despite his fame on both sides of the Atlantic.

Boy George

If The Voice U.S. producers are looking to add some drama, perhaps Culture Club singer Boy George could be enticed to coach on a third different version of the franchise. George has been a coach on both The Voice U.K. and The Voice Australia, where he recently walked off the set in a viral moment with a contestant. He has not participated in The Voice U.S., but took part in NBC’s The Celebrity Apprentice season with Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2017.

Joe Jonas

Considering the Jonas Brothers have been everywhere since they reunited earlier this year, it’s surprising that NBC did not try to get one of them for The Voice. Joe Jonas took part in The Voice Australia in 2018 and served as a mentor on the U.S. version the year before. Unfortunately, the Jonas Brothers’ upcoming tour for Happiness Begins probably made him unavailable.

Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez rarely says “no” to anyone, and she has experience with reality show competitions. She is now a judge on NBC’s World of Dance and was part of the final judge’s panel on the Fox version of American Idol. Her $15 million paycheck was one reason Idol couldn’t survive on Fox much longer, but The Voice is still doing well enough in the ratings that NBC might want her. Plus, she is working on new music, and there’s no better way to remind fans you have more music coming out than being on TV twice a week.