‘The Voice’: Usher Returning as Mega Mentor

The Voice had another round of battles within the various teams on Tuesday night. The biggest moment of the episode came towards the end, as host Carson Daly announced that former coach Usher would be returning as a Mega Mentor for Season 19. Usher previously served as a coach on Seasons 4 and 6 of The Voice. His team won Season 6, as one of the singers on it, Josh Kaufman, pulled out the win.

At the end of the episode, Daly told the coaches — Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Gwen Stefani, and Blake Shelton — that there would indeed be a Mega Mentor on Season 19. He then revealed that the Mega Mentor would be none other than Usher, a former Voice coach and champion. The coaches all had very different reactions to the news. Clarkson said, via a voiceover as a clip played that showcased the “Scream” singer’s dance moves, “Wait, Usher’s a really good performer. What if my team likes him better than me? Because he’s got those sweet dance moves.” Stefani then said, also via voiceover, “Woah, Usher has so much swag. I wonder what he’s gonna wear. I better up my style game.”

“Alright! My friend Usher,” Legend said during his own voiceover montage. “Wait a minute, what if he’s more charming than I am? That’s impossible! Or is it?” When it came to Shelton though, he had a much different topic on his mind. He could be heard saying, alongside a graphic of a cartoon unicorn, “How come they’re called unicorns and not unihorns?” The Voice is no stranger to having an artist sit in as a Mega Mentor on the show. For Season 18, the Mega Mentor was the legendary James Taylor. During the competition, Taylor provided commentary to all of the teams as the coaches prepared the contestants for their various performances.

While the show didn’t share too many details regarding Usher’s role as the Mega Mentor this season, fans can likely expect him to be in a similar position to Taylor as he judges this season’s contestants. Usher served as a coach during two previous seasons of The Voice and even got himself a win in the process. The last time viewers saw him on the program was back in Season 17, when he served as a mentor to Legend’s team.