‘The Voice’: Inside Kelly Clarkson and Reba McEntire’s Alleged Feud

NBC’s The Voice Season 23 is over, and fans saw Kelly Clarkson attempt to lead her singers to victory. And there’s a change in the coaches next season. Reba McEntire is taking over for Blake Shelton in The Voice Season 24, and the country music star had an alleged feud with coach Clarkson in the past. Here’s what to know.

‘The Voice’ coaches Kelly Clarkson and Reba McEntire allegedly feuded in the past

Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson | Adam Christopher /NBCUniversal/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Kelly Clarkson and Reba McEntire won’t coach side by side in The Voice Season 24, so fans won’t get to see their dynamic. And it seems they had alleged tension in the past. An insider shared with Radar Online that McEntire hoped that Clarkson would get back together with her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock. McEntire was married to Brandon’s father, Narvel Blackstock, until 2015, making Brandon her stepson. McEntire and Narvel were married for 26 years.

“They have to play nice for the cameras, but things are really tense between them,” the source shared. “Reba’s got it in her head that Kelly should take Brandon back, which has really upset Kelly. But for some reason, Reba just can’t accept that it’s over.”

“Reba has this delusional hope Brandon and Kelly could work things out,” the source continued. “She thinks it would be better for the kids. Kelly’s not having any of it. She thinks Reba should leave The Voice. The tension’s boiling over — and everyone’s worried it’s going to come out on camera.”

Clarkson and her ex-husband married in December 2012 and filed for divorce in 2020. And The Voice star said she’s never planning on marrying again. “I won’t be getting married,” she said on the Angie Martinez IRL podcast. “In my life, I’ve been through a couple of divorces in my own family as a kid. I would love to fall in love. I would love to find someone and fall in love and do that thing, but I have children and that’s why I say that.”

The singers claim to have a close bond

While one source claims The Voice Season 23 coach Kelly Clarkson has issues with season 24 coach Reba McEntire, they seem to have an unbreakable bond. They first connected when they performed together during the American Idol Season 1 finale. And in 2018, Clarkson praised her relationship with McEntire.

“I’ve been a fan of Reba since I was a little girl,” Clarkson shared, according to Us Weekly. “Her voice has always felt nostalgic for me. Even as an adult, there’s something about her tone and her storytelling that just feels like home. Sometimes when we meet our heroes, it doesn’t always pan out how you hope. But meeting Reba, being friends with her, and eventually becoming family has been one of the highlights of my life, truly.”

McEntire and Clarkson toured together in 2008, and McEntire was a guest on Clarkson’s The Kelly Clarkson Show in September 2019.

Kelly Clarkson isn’t returning to coach in ‘The Voice’ Season 24

While Reba McEntire is taking over for Blake Shelton in The Voice Season 24, Kelly Clarkson won’t sit by her side as a coach. Clarkson is taking a break next season. The other coaches include Gwen Stefani, Niall Horan, and John Legend.

Clarkson didn’t comment on why she’s leaving the show, but it might have to do with her move. She’s moving from Los Angeles to New York, as her talk show is also switching filming locations. Given her new address, fans shouldn’t expect to see her as a judge in the future, as The Voice films in Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal City, California.

For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s YouTube channel.