It’s Blake Shelton‘s final season as a judge on The Voice, and he’s not being subtle about it.
Just ask his fellow judges, who’ve put up with his constant reminders all season long!
“I’ve mentioned it a couple of times,” the soon-to-be-retired judge joked to Entertainment Tonight in a new group interview with Kelly Clarkson, Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper.
“I mentioned it in the blind [auditions], because you gotta remember, every artist that comes up there didn’t hear what we said the last time,” Shelton clarified. “So I just wanted [everyone] to be aware, that this is going to be my last season. In case you didn’t know that.”
Clarkson jumped in, sarcastically confirming, “So all 80 people that auditioned are aware.”
Still, the American Idol alum is happy to be back alongside the last original judge of the series for one more season. In fact, she said, “If he was gonna do a last season, I wanted to make sure I was there.”
Sweet as the sentiment is, though, she won’t be letting feelings get in the way of the competition. “If [Shelton] wins, I am very happy for him,” she added. “But, like, I’m not, like, rooting for him to win. I’ll be happy for him if he does, but I’m obviously trying to win myself.”
As for newcomers Horan and Chance, they’re just happy to be along for the ride, with the former One Directioner looking forward to the opportunity to “nurture” younger talent, reminiscent of his time on The X Factor UK. “I know exactly how it feels… I just want to nurture them a little bit and kind of make sure [they] enjoy it. I think that’s the biggest thing for me,” he said.
Related: Watch ‘The Voice’’s First 4-Chair Turn of Season 23 As Chance the Rapper Blocks Blake Shelton!
May the odds be in Shelton’s favor! We’re excited to see the friendly competition thrive during his final season.
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