The Voice: 5 Scandals from the show explored

The Voice is returning for the 26th season with new sets of judges and contestants. Reba McEntire and Gwen Stefani are back on the coaching panel and will be joined by first-time coaches Snoop Dogg and Michael Bublé.

On the reality show, four coaches form a team of singers they mentor throughout the season. Contestants get eliminated each week until only one singer remains from each team. The winner of the four is named "The Voice of America."

While the show is meant to turn seats and shape up singers, it gets involved in some scandals. The scandals include the show bringing back Ceelo Green despite his legal sentence and Christina Aguilera talking down about the show.

---

5 Scandals that surfaced from The Voice

1) Ceelo Green returned to The Voice after a legal sentence

Ceelo Green at TLC's 30th Anniversary Celebration of "CrazySexyCool" (Image via Getty)

Ceelo Green was part of The Voice from 2011 to 2013. In 2012, a 33-year-old woman accused him of mixing drugs in her drink after she found herself naked in his bed in the morning.

Ceelo faced serious date rape allegations and defended himself for the next two years. In 2014, Ceelo pleaded no contest to a felony charge of furnishing ecstasy. He was sentenced to three years of formal probation and community service. The Voice brought back Ceelo as Adam Levine's mentor in 2018, and fans of the show were unhappy with the announcement.

---

2) Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton dating during their respective divorce

Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton at the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards (Image via Getty)

Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton began dating in 2015. The news shocked the world because the two judges just ended their relationships with their partners. The situation also led to fans speculating that Gwen and Blake might have started dating before separating from their previous partners.

Blake Shelton was married to Miranda Lambert for four years, from 2011 to 2015. Meanwhile, Gwen Stefani was married to Gavin Rossdale from 2002 to 2016. She filed for divorce in August 2015 before Blake's representatives shared that the two The Voice judges were dating in November 2015.

In an interview with Rolling Stone on June 1, 2016, Blake talked about his relationship with Gwen. He said:

"If you had told me that that's who I'm gonna end up with, I would have thought you were crazy. But she became my closest ally."

Blake proposed to Gwen on October 27, 2020, in Oklahoma, and she said "Yes." The two later got married on July 3, 2021.

---

3) Christina Aguilera was unhappy with how the show evolved

Christina Aguilera at Clarins New Product Launch Party (Image via Getty)

Christina Aguilera joined The Voice as an original coach in season one. During her run, she appeared for six seasons and stepped down from her role as coach in 2016. After her exit, she opened up about her experience on the show.

In an interview with Billboard on May 3, 2018, Christina shared what she felt was wrong about the show. She said the show turned into something she did not sign up for in season one and it wasn't just a singing show anymore.

Christina said:

"It became something that I didn't feel was what I had signed up for in season one. You realize it's not about music. It's about making good TV moments and massaging a story. I didn't get into this business to be a television show host and to be given all these [rules]."

---

4) Blake Shelton and Adam Levine's dispute

Adam Levine at Maroon 5 Live in Concert at Northwell at Jones Beach Theater (Image via Getty)

Blake Shelton and Adam Levine had a fun bond on the show, and a friendly feud ensued. However, this friendly feud turned into a serious argument off-camera at some point during the shooting, affecting their friendship.

After the incident, Blake announced his exit from The Voice after being a judge on the show for 23 seasons. In an Instagram post on October 11, 2022, Blake wrote that he had been thinking about his decision for a long time and would be leaving the show from the next season. Blake wrote:

"I've been wrestling with this for a while and I've decided that it's time for me to step away from The Voice after next season."

According to Radar's report on July 7, 2021, Adam was neither informed nor invited to Blake and Gwen's wedding, while the other members were invited.

---

5) Ryan Gallagher was kicked for COVID-19 breaking protocols

In 2020, The Voice contestant Ryan Gallagher was kicked off the show for breaking its strict Covid-19 protocols.

NBC Network provided a statement to PEOPLE after the news on December 5, 2020. The network shared that The Voice had strict COVID protocols for the safety of the crew, coaches, and contestants, and after a "breach in those protocols," they had to remove Ryan from the competition.

---

The Voice season 26 will premiere on NBC on September 23, 2024.