Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, John Legend and Kelly Clarkson are all back as coaches for season 19 of The Voice, which returns on Oct. 19 on NBC. However, plenty of other stars have taken turns in the big red judges’ chairs over the years. Some of the biggest names in the music industry have served as coaches on the hit show, and we’re taking a trip down memory lane by looking back at all of their times on the show.
Blake Shelton
Blake is the longest running coach on The Voice — he’s been on the show since day one in 2011. When the show comes back, it will be Blake’s 19th season as a coach. He has an excellent track record, too, as he’s been the winner of the show a whopping SEVEN times. Blake meshes with everyone who he’s served alongside on the coaches’ panel, and has a special bond with his contestants every season.
Gwen Stefani
Gwen made her first appearance on The Voice during season 7 in 2014. She then returned for season 9, which is when she struck up a romance with Blake. Both stars were dealing with divorces at the time, and they’ve been together ever since! After that, Gwen took a few seasons off before coming back for season 12. Ahead of season 17, Adam Levine announced his departure from the show, even though he was already confirmed as a coach. Luckily, Gwen was there to step in and take his place. She took a break during season 18 to perform her Las Vegas residency, but is back once again for the 19th go-around. Sadly, Gwen has never won The Voice!
Adam Levine
Like Blake, Adam was on the original coaches’ panel for The Voice. He was extremely dedicated to the show for many years and returned season after season without a break. However, after facing some backlash for a decision he made when two of his contestants were in jeopardy of being sent home during season 16, Adam decided to part ways with the series. “I was ready to not be doing it anymore,” he admitted in 2019. “It was the right time for me to go.” During Adam’s 16 seasons as a coach, he had three artists win The Voice.
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson made her debut as a coach on The Voice during season 14, and she’s been on the show ever since! Considering Kelly came from American Idol, she knows a thing or two about being in a reality singing competition, which helps her provide invaluable advice to her contestants. Kelly had back-to-back victories during her first two seasons as a coach, and then won again during season 17, making her a three-time winner in just five seasons.
John Legend
It wasn’t until season 16 that John Legend came to The Voice as a coach. However, he’s fallen in love with the role, and has been in the big red chair ever since. Like Kelly, John won the show during his very first season as a coach when his contestant Maelyn Jarmon received the majority of viewer votes in the season 16 finale. He hasn’t secured a win since then, though.
CeeLo Green
It’s been a long time since CeeLo Green was on The Voice, so it’s easy to forget that he was actually one of the OG coaches. CeeLo stayed with the show for the first three seasons, took a break during season four, and returned one last time for season five. However, he never had a contestant win.
Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera was the fourth and final star alongside Blake, Adam and CeeLo during the very first season of The Voice. Like CeeLo, she took a break for season four, but was back for season five. Her journey on the show wasn’t over there, though. Christina also served as a coach during season eight and season 10. It was during season 10 that Christina finally got her first win thanks to contestant Alisan Porter. Since then, she has not returned to the series.
Shakira
When Christina took her season four hiatus, she was replaced by Shakira. Shakira’s time on the show was short-lived, though — she returned for season six, as well, but that was it. Unfortunately, she didn’t produce a winner during either of her times on the show.
Usher
While Christina was replaced by Shakira for season four, CeeLo was replaced by Usher, who returned for season six, as well. The R&B star managed to win that season with his artist Josh Kaufman, and left his coaches’ duties after that. However, he did come back during season 8 as an adviser.
Pharrell
Pharell Williams had a four-season stint on The Voice from seasons 7 through 10. He had his victory during season 8 when his contestant, Sawyer Fredericks, was named the winner. Of course, Blake and Adam sat alongside Pharrell during all of his seasons, while two featured Gwen and the other two featured Christina.
Miley Cyrus
In an attempt to bring younger viewers to The Voice, Miley Cyrus was named a coach for season 11. She took a break during season 12, then returned to the show one last time during season 13. Blake’s team won both seasons that Miley was part of, so she never got the chance to experience what it was like to win The Voice.
Alicia Keys
Like Miley, Alicia made her debut on The Voice during season 11. She returned for season 12, which is when she won the show with her artist, Chris Blue. Alicia took season 13 off, and came back to the show one last time for season 14 alongside Blake, Adam and Kelly. Kelly secured the victory that season.
Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson served as a coach during two seasons of The Voice — seasons 13 and 15. Unfortunately, she never won the show. Jennifer has also been a coach on the UK version of The Voice. She started there during season six in 2017 and won, making her the first female coach to win overseas. She was also part of seasons seven and eight in the UK, but then left for other work commitments.
Nick Jonas
Nick Jonas made his first and only appearance as a coach on The Voice during season 18. It was quite an unprecedented season, as the coronavirus hit right before the live shows started. This meant that Nick and the other coaches had to finish the show virtually, so he never got a feel of what it would be like to take part in the in-person live shows.