John Legend has graced The Voice as a coach from seasons 16 to 22, 24, 25, and 27. Since he’ll appear in the upcoming The Voice: Battle of Champions in 2026, let’s revisit how he became a coach on the show.
John Legend Joined The Voice After Adam Levine Controversy
In 2018, Adam Levine ended up in one of the biggest controversies ever on the show. During the season’s live shows, Levine received criticism for throwing his own team member DeAndre Nico under the bus. In previous seasons of The Voice, there were results shows following each live performance episode. In this episode, fans would learn which of their favorite singers were continuing on, and have the option of voting one through via the Instant Save. The Instant Save typically featured three to four singers who were able to perform again. Fans then voted once again for them.
During this week of the competition, two of Levine’s singers were up to be eliminated, DeAndre Nico and Reagan Strange. Strange, who was 14 years old at the time, was seen backstage in a bathrobe since she was under the weather and unable to perform. Although Strange was unable to perform, both Nico and Team Blake member Dave Fenley performed once again.
Nico sang John Legend’s “All of Me” while Fenley performed Lonestar’s “Amazed.” The Team Adam member was definitely the most impressive of the two, yet Levine rallied against him. Instead, Levine begged fans to vote for Strange.
This was a HUGE deal on social media. Leading to many fans tweeting the singer of Nico’s song to share his support of the artist. Legend, who was not yet a coach on the show, shared a tweet directed toward Levine saying “what did you do tonight?? you’re all in my mentions.”
Fans then took to the comments telling Legend to not take notes on how to be a judge from Levine. Ahead of this viral tweet, it had already been announced that Legend was set to join the show in the spring.
John Legend Returns to The Voice in 2026 Alongside Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine
Legend is set to reclaim his spot on The Voice judging panel alongside Kelly Clarkson and Adam Levine this spring. The show, which is set to premiere on Monday, February 23, 2026, differs from typical, due to the champion based formatting. According to NBC Insider, Each of the competition’s four rounds will deliver a first-ever element, so there’s something to love for fans old and new.
Some of the highlighted differences include: a three-chair turn competition during blind auditions, where the coach who earns the most three-chair turns gets an advantage in the competition; a Super Steal, which will be used by the three-chair turn champion; Former veteran coach CeeLo Green returning for the Knockouts, as well as season winners.
During the Knockouts, each coach will bring back two artists from their former teams for an All-Star competition. All-Stars will then represent their Coaches in head-to-head sing-offs. The coach with the most sing-off wins is guaranteed two Artists from their Season 29 team in the Finale.
Words by:
Corey Cesare Corey Cesare is Talent Recap's Managing Editor and featured YouTube Host. She has a love of all things pop culture and an unhealthy obsession with celebrities. Corey earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Cinema/Screen Studies from the State University of New York at Oswego in 2021. She spends her spare time shooting astro, nature, and portrait photography, and coming up with movie ideas that she hopes to make into a film someday.
