Blake Shelton Had Strong Words For Ariana Grande After She Joined The Voice

If you thought the judges of hit show The Voice all got along like a house on fire, then you’d be wrong. When the news dropped that Ariana Grande would be gracing the red swivel chairs for Season 21 of the show, everyone was in raptures. That was except for Blake Shelton, who had some pretty harsh words for Ms. Grande. And given the warm response from the rest of the judges, it was decidedly, erm, awkward.

Yes, while the pop princess tweeted that she was “beyond thrilled” to be stepping in for Nick Jonas in the fall, Shelton was notably less enthused. In fact, his response was positively confrontational. Meanwhile, the country singer’s fellow judges gushed with praise for their stellar new addition. Jonas responded with his own tweet, writing “Congrats @Ariana Grande! You’re going to kill it next season! Welcome to the family.”

Then Kelly Clarkson chimed in, celebrating the show’s girl power with her message, “Next season we are bringing y’all some powerful female energy! Welcome to the @NBCTheVoice family @Ariana Grande.” And not to be outdone, John Legend joined in the show of love with his own comment, “Welcome to the @NBCTheVoice family @ArianaGrande!”

The soul singer continued his support for the star at a virtual press conference attended by some of the judges. According to People magazine, Legend told reporters, “Ariana is one of the most gifted artists in our business today. She is a huge chart-topping artist with amazing vocal skills.” Asked whether he had any advice for his successor, Jonas simply replied, “Ariana clearly doesn’t need my advice.” Praise indeed!

Little wonder that everyone is so thrilled about Grande joining the judging panel. The artist recently responsible for chart-topping album Positions is one of the biggest stars to take a red seat on the show, like, ever. And that’s saying something, given the stellar power of her peers. But aside from the fact that Grande was already a famous face in TV – thanks to Victorious and Sam & Cat – when she broke into music, the pop legend’s career has eclipsed that of pretty much every other recording artist of her generation.

Her dizzying collection of accolades includes – deep breath – two Grammy Awards, one Brit, two Billboard Music trophies, three American Music prizes, nine MTV Video Music gongs and 22 Guinness World Records. Phew! As well as amassing a string of multiple number one and top ten hits, too, Grande’s illustrious recording career has seen all of her first six albums go platinum or multi-platinum. Oh, and she’s the most-streamed female artist ever. Wowzers!

Given that list of credentials and the competitive nature of The Voice, you could certainly understand the other judges feeling a bit threatened by Grande. Especially Shelton, who has won the show a record-breaking seven times to date. He certainly won’t be happy to lose his crown, especially to a young whippersnapper like the “34+35” singer.

So what is the relationship between the judges really like? Off camera, do they actually like each other or secretly loathe one another? Well, it’s no secret that Shelton and former judge Gwen Stefani have got a special relationship going on. So special in fact, that they’re engaged to be married. The happy couple, who met on the show back in 2014, dated for five years before announcing their plans to wed in October 2020.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the loved-up pair had to postpone their nuptials, but are now looking at a summer wedding. Shelton told the USA Today newspaper, “I’m afraid if she and I wait until next November, then I’m right back into The Voice cycle again, and I really want to be able to have plenty of time before and after, so hopefully this summer.”

Despite being known as a bit of a joker, Shelton revealed his soft side in the special tenth anniversary edition of The Voice. The “God’s Country” singer recalled, “People ask me all the time, ‘What’s the greatest thing that has happened for you since you’ve been on The Voice?’ That’s a no-brainer, right? I met my fiancée here.” Awww.

The star also recounted to People the first time that he met the “What You Waiting For?” singer, saying, “She surprised everybody with a performance of ‘Hollaback Girl,’ and then they announced that she was going to be a coach. I remember enjoying her performance, and then after the show, we all took a group picture.” He went on, “It was very much an industry-type meeting, and I told people, ‘I met Gwen Stefani. That’s crazy.’”

Rumor has it – according to People ­– that Miley Cyrus offered her services to the couple as a performer at their wedding. The “Wrecking Ball” singer tweeted, “@gwenstefani @blakeshelton I’ll be your wedding singer!” Quite a proposition. Although if any celebrity singers are going to take to the mic on the big day, it would most likely be Adam Levine. See, the couple are close pals with their former fellow The Voice coach.

Fans of the show will know that Shelton and Levine shared plenty of playful banter during their time as co-judges. They often traded insults and pretended to dislike each other, when in fact, they’re pretty tight. Keeping up the friendly feud, Shelton told his TV host while appearing on Late Night with Seth Meyers in 2020, “He may not like it, but Adam Levine’s gonna have to get the band together and come and play our wedding.”

His fiancée joined in with the joke during an interview with the show host in April 2021. Stefani told Meyers, “I definitely would love to have Adam sing at our wedding.” So how has the Maroon 5 frontman responded to all of this? “They can’t afford me,” he quipped on SiriusXM’s The Morning Mash-Up. All joking aside though, Levine said that if it was seriously requested, he would be “honored” to perform on the couple’s special day.

The “Moves Like Jagger” singer isn’t the only co-judge who’s close buddies with Shelton. Kelly Clarkson has been firm friends with the country star for years, as her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, is Shelton’s manager. Small world! According to the Celebrity Insider website, Shelton even nearly officiated at the former couple’s wedding in 2013. They sadly parted ways in 2020, but The Voice judges’ friendship endures.

So what’s the deal with Shelton and Grande? Why did the former have such strong words for his future co-judge? Well, People reported that the pair have had a friendly rivalry since they bumped into each other at the Billboard Music Awards a few years ago. With new albums out on the same day, they shared a mock-competitive exchange. Shelton recalled, “I think we both had some comment to each other, like, ‘Oh it’s [puts on menacing voice] you!”

And it was that episode which fueled the friendly fighting talk from the wisecracking judge. Shelton sure didn’t pull any punches when he told host Hoda Kotb on the Today show, “There’s one chair on The Voice that seems like, lately it’s kind of turned into like this revolving door of different coaches that we’re able to bring in. And they never let us know who it’s going to be, by the way.”

Shelton explained that he and the other judges had been texted the news shortly before the official announcement. He told Kotb, “I’m excited about it. I’m a fan of hers, I’m not going to lie. We’re still going to beat the [stuffing] out of her, you know, on the show. It’s our job – they pay us to win, Hoda. They don’t pay me to lose.”

The singer didn’t hold back either, in press conference footage on the People website. Aiming yet more friendly fire at the “7 rings” vocalist, he told reporters, “She is screwed, okay, that’s all I’m saying, because none of us are going to take it easy on her.” And in a playful swipe at Grande’s predecessor, Shelton said, “The easiest defeat of my career was Nick Jonas… I think Ariana could be a challenge. I’m looking forward to beating her though.”

Meanwhile, Jonas kept up the faux feud with a cheeky jab at his former co-judge. Discussing the superstar singer joining the panel, Jonas told People, “She’s got such an incredible career to pull from to inspire these artists she’s going to work with. I’m so excited to see her beat Blake. It’s going to be great for me.” With Grande’s talent and experience, we think she’s going to be in one of the strongest Positions – sorry – to win!

And while Shelton’s comments may have been merely tongue in cheek, you do have to be careful what you say when you’re a reality TV judge. When Gabrielle Union spoke out about her time on America's Got Talent, for instance, her comments got her in hot water. So much so that when the next season came around, she was nowhere to be seen.

There's no doubt that Gabrielle Union is entrenched in the Hollywood establishment. Besides headlining tons of movies and TV shows, she's part of one of the hottest couples in showbiz. But she once made a comment that forced the network to act.

Her crusading spirit found its roots in her childhood. Gabrielle said her parents raised her to be "an independent woman, standing on my own two feet." They fostered empathy and taught her to be self-reliant, but even these virtues couldn't stop tragedy from striking.

As a college student in 1992, Gabrielle worked part-time at a shoe store. One shift turned into a nightmare when a strange man entered and proceeded to attack her. The 19-year-old could barely process this nightmare.

She withdrew from the world months after the traumatic incident but found hope in an unusual place. Episodes of Oprah comforted her and reaffirmed the self-assuredness that she'd lost. It also helped Gabrielle realize what she wanted to do with her life.

She wanted to act. Following a string of guest star roles, Gabrielle caught her big break in the cheerleading hit Bring It On. That brought her many more opportunities in mainstream entertainment, but the performer was never shy about putting her morality before her career prospects.

She co-starred in 2016's critically acclaimed Birth of a Nation, though the historical drama was derailed once sexual assault charges came out against director Nate Parker. Rather than play it safe, Gabrielle encouraged the public to believe the women who came forward.

Even outside of film sets, Gabrielle gained a reputation as a fierce and insightful advocate of justice. After teenager Trayvon Martin was brutally gunned down in Florida, she helped organize protests and spoke out against racially motivated violence.

Nobody would've blamed Gabrielle for concealing her own demons, but she bravely opened up about her own experience with sexual assault. Though it wasn't easy, she wanted to help other victims tell their stories.

That being said, Gabrielle never viewed herself as the figurehead of some great movement. She mainly wanted to enjoy life as a mom, wife, and entertainer. However, as she learned on national television, moments of injustice can be unavoidable.

This trial began in 2019, when Gabrielle nabbed a judge position on America's Got Talent. Joining the likes of Howie Mandel, Terry Crews, Simon Cowell, and Julianne Hough, she celebrated the start of one of her biggest projects ever.

However, sharp-eyed viewers began to notice that there was trouble in paradise. An escalating incident occurred when funnyman Jay Leno stopped by one episode. He cracked a series of passable jokes — until one went too far.

Pointing to a photo on the wall of Cowell with his many dogs, Leno quipped it looked like "the menu at a Korean restaurant." The comment took many crew members aback, so Gabrielle took it upon herself to report the matter to human resources.

NBC refused to take any disciplinary options, but they cut the lame joke from the episode. It was a partial victory for Gabrielle, though many higher-ups made a note of her trouble-making disposition. Unfortunately, the trouble didn't end there.

Allegedly, the show's producers had some problems with how the actress presented herself on the show. While she was charming and enthusiastic, they disapproved of her stylistic choices. Specifically, they described her hairdos as "too black."

Gabrielle never made a public statement on this friction, but she certainly brought her concerns forward behind the scenes. Rather than take steps to improve the work culture, however, NBC made an unbelievable decision.

Along with Julianne Hough, the network let Gabrielle go at the end of the season. Viewers were outraged that the popular judge got the boot, and Gabrielle certainly wanted to continue. NBC declined to provide any explanation, but the ex-AGT personality directed a retweet their way.

Soon after the announcement, Gabrielle shared writer Joelle Monique's steps on how to apologize. "Sincerely admit wrong doing directly to the offended party. Be twice as loud correcting your mistake as you were making the mistake. Lay out steps to correct your behavior in the future."

Beyond that post, Gabrielle shared nothing but kind words about her time on the reality show. The situation got messy when host Terry Crews claimed he never saw any racism during production, but other reports corroborated Gabrielle's experiences in a "toxic" environment.

Luckily, Gabrielle had a robust support system. To her fans, she said, "Just when you feel lost, adrift, alone… you got me up off the ground. Humbled and thankful, forever.” Of course, her determined and understanding husband had her back as well.