As you settle in to watch season 20 of The Voice, which premieres on March 1, you may be wondering why Nick Jonas replaced Gwen Stefani as a coach. The Jonas Brother is judging the singing competition show along with longtime mentors Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson and John Legend.
Nick joining the cast was announced over a year ago, so it came as no surprise to fans to see the “Jealous” artist sitting in a red chair. The Voice is always rotating their coaches, so it’s just normal protocol to bring in someone new. Past artists that have starred as mentors on the show include Adam Levine, Shakira, Miley Cyrus, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Pharrell Williams, Usher and more.
The “Hollaback Girl” crooner first made her appearance on the singing competition show in 2014, which is when she met her fiancé, Blake. She returned as a coach again in season 17 and did a phenomenal job. She coached Carter Rubin to victory, making him the youngest male contestant to win the show.
While we’re sure Gwen will miss her time on The Voice, she’s had her hands full with her career and being a full-time mom to her three children, sons Kingston, Zuma and Apollo. She was even performing frequent shows for her Las Vegas residency while simultaneously appearing on the NBC show. “I didn’t expect to be doing [the Vegas show] and The Voice at the same time,” she told Entertainment Tonight in September 2019. “I just feel like I’m alive in a way I’ve never been before, because I have to be! Because doing both is a lot.”
Gwen and Blake have been dating for nearly five years and got engaged in September 2020. Needless to say, the A-listers are basically inseparable. That being said, the “God’s Country” singer admitted the No Doubt singer actually hates competition during their joint interview.
“It’s harder for [Gwen]. She’s not … she’s not competitive,” he explained at the time. “She’ll be the first to tell you right up until it gets competitive and then all of a sudden she is.” It looks like she handled herself just fine during season 19.
Gwen will be missed this season, but we can’t wait to watch Nick duke it out with Blake, Kelly and John!