LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: As Reba McEntire prepares to take on the coveted red chair as the new coach on 'The Voice' Season 24, rumors of the country queen being deaf are rife. Well, as it turns out, Reba is not deaf.
The new celebrity coach in fact confidently declared that she has "no competition" during a candid interview ahead of the NBC show's premiere. Rumors of the county legend being deaf began doing rounds when she cancelled a show back in March 2019 on account of laryngitis. The 'Fancy' singer had to cancel her show at the last minute due to her health concerns. Although Reba rescheduled the show and honored her patrons with her usual stellar performance, the singer's health issues became a hot topic for grapevine as rumors of her reportedly being deaf began doing the rounds.
Reba McEntire squashes rumors of her death
Reba is no stranger to bizzare rumors. Back in 2012, the country queen found herself trending on the internet when rumors of her plunging to her death began circulating. According to rumors, Reba reportedly plunged to her death while she was filming a movie on the mountains of Austria. The 'I'm a Survior' singer got in on the action by okingly addressing the baseless rumors and squashing them.
While labeling the rumors as 'hoax', the singer tweeted, "There is a rumor going around that I died after falling off a mountain in Austria yesterday while shooting a movie. While I would love to be shooting a movie in Austria, I definitely did not fall off a mountain! Nor am I dead! I am alive and kicking!!! Oh well."
Reba McEntire REGRETS rejecting to be one of the original judges on 'The Voice'
While it's hard to imagine 'The Voice' without its iconic judge Blake Shelton, it may come as surprise to many to learn that the country superstar wasn't the original choice to be a judge on the NBC show. The showrunners were initially keen on having Reba as the judge. But when the country queen rejected the job, it eventually fell into Blake's lap and the rest is history.
During an appearance on 'Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen' back in 2020, Reba responded to a fan's question revealing that she was originally asked to be the judge of the singing competiton show. She elaborated on her reason for turning down the show, while also expressing her regret. She said, "'It (The Voice) was a very popular show in Holland, I'm pretty sure, and I watched the tape, and I said, "No, I'm going to pass on that," because I don't think I could ever be able to tell somebody that they're terrible or go find another job or hope you like your nighttime job. 'I couldn't do that day in and day out. I just couldn't do it. So I did pass on it."
When Andy asked her if she "overestimated the criticism" the she would have to give, Reba immediately replied saying, "Oh sure! I mean, after you see a very successful show that's been running, what, 15 years? Uh, yeah!' 'I'm like, "Shoot, I should have done that!"
Despite her initial reluctance to be on 'The Voice', Reba is no stranger to the show. The country queen has previously appeared as mega-mentor on the show and earned the love of fans, before being announced as the new celebrity coach and replacement of Blake Shelton on the upcoming Season 24.
Reba McEntire calls out Gwen Stefani for being 'mean' on 'The Voice'
In a preview clip released by 'The Voice' ahead of Season 24 premiere, Reba can be seen candidly interacting with her fellow judges- Niall Horan, John Legend, and Gwen Stefani. The country icon wastes no time in bringing out her competitive side, as she calls out Gwen for being 'mean' during the blind auditions. Reba can be heard saying, "The Blind Auditions were so much harder than I thought they were gonna be. They block you and it’s just so devious, but a lot of fun, too." She then pointed out how her fellow judges' personalities change from 'sweet' to 'mean' while on-stage. "They’re real mean. Especially Gwen," she joked.
Reba will be making her big debut as the new celebrity coach alongside reigning champion Niall, and returning coaches- John and Gwen. Kelly Clarkson took a break from the NBC show on account of overlap in schedules for filming her daytime talk show, 'The Kelly Clarkson Show' and the NBC singing competition show. On the other hand, OG coach Blake Shelton bid audieu to the show after his long stint on the show to spend more time with his family.
When does The Voice Season 24 premiere?
'The Voice' Season 24 Premiere, Monday, September 25, at 8/7c on NBC. The singing competition show will also be available for streaming on Peacock.
