LOS ANGELES — Two new faces will join the judges on “The Voice” for Season 26: Snoop Dogg and Michael Bublé.
They’ll join Reba McEntire and a returning Gwen Stefani in the swivel chairs. It will be McEntire’s third season and, after her brief hiatus, Stefani’s eighth. John Legend, Dan + Shay and Chance the Rapper will all be leaving the show.
Snoop Dogg undoubtedly will bring his chill vibes to the red chairs, mentoring new talent with his 30 years of music industry experience and eight platinum albums. The Long Beach rapper was discovered by Dr. Dre, who brought him to Death Row Records before Snoop released his debut album, “Doggystyle,” in 1993.
In the past few years, Snoop has kept busy with other projects. His friendship with domestic goddess Martha Stewart spawned the show “Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party,” and he’ll join NBC to host the Olympic Games in Paris this summer following the success of his Olympics review show with comedian Kevin Hart.
Snoop’s business ventures don’t end there, however. The cannabis fan was a part of a high-profile campaign for smokeless fire pits last year after announcing that he was “giving up smoke.” His store Tha Dogg House, a collaboration with Funko Pop, closed its doors in Inglewood last year, but fans can still find his apparel line Snoopy’s ClothING in the same complex near SoFi Stadium.
The gangsta rap legend has released 21 studio albums and received 20 Grammy nominations. He graced TV screens in the well-received, homegrownSuper Bowl LVI halftime show at SoFi Stadium with Dr. Dre, Eminem, 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar.
The confident Bublé has already described himself as a “Future Winner of @NBCTheVoice” in his Instagram bio. The “Home” singer has won five Grammys, with 12 nominations. Bublé, who started singing in nightclubs at just 16, has had a storied career of making fans swoon to his rendition of “Silent Night.”
The Christmas savant also is known for his chart-topping holiday albums and televised holiday specials, including 2021’s “Christmas in the City,” celebrating the 10th anniversary of his 2011 “Christmas” album.
Neither artist is a stranger to the show, however. Bublé served as an adviser to former judge Blake Shelton in Season 3, and Snoop was a mega mentor in Season 20.
“It’s exciting to incorporate some new people into ‘The Voice’ family. Having Snoop here, he’s been here as a mentor before, but having him as a coach, I think, is going to be a lot of fun and reinvigorate the show a bit,” John Legend told ET.
“We’ve been around for 25 seasons,” he continued. “Part of how we continue to stay fresh is introducing new coaches to ‘The Voice’ family, and I think Michael and Snoop will do really well.”
Fans of Team John don’t have to worry about missing him for too long, though. “I’ll be doing a lot of shows this summer and traveling overseas this summer,” he explained. But, he said, “I’ll be back.”
