Beloved ‘The Voice’ Coach Will Not Return to the Show Next Year—and Possibly Forever

Back in September, popular singing reality competition show The Voice kicked off its 28th season on NBC. This season saw four veteran coaches returning in Michael Bublé, Snoop Dogg, Niall Horan, and Reba McEntire. As Bublé and Horan vied for their third title, Reba sought her second and Snoop angled for his first. During Tuesday’s (Dec. 16) live finale, viewers crowned Team Niall’s Aiden Ross the season 28 champion over Team Snoop’s Ralph Edwards. Ross’ triumphant victory secured the former One Direction member’s undefeated status, as he previously won back-to-back titles in seasons 23 and 24.

Beloved 'The Voice' Coach Will Not Return to the Show Next Year—and Possibly Forever - NewsBreak

Season 29 premieres Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, at 9 p.m. Eastern, with previous champions Kelly Clarkson, John Legend and Adam Levine returning to their big red chairs. According to a report from the U.S. Sun Wednesday (Dec. 17), viewers may have seen the last of this season 28 star.

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Is This Beloved Coach Saying Good-bye to ‘The Voice?’

During the first episode of The Voice season 28’s two-part finale, Michael Bublé raised some eyebrows with an emotional speech he made to finalist Jazz McKenzie.

“I wrote you last night, I told you you are the light … this is it. This is my last time here,” the “Home” crooner, 50, said ahead of McKenzie’s sixth-place finish. “I leave this show, and let me tell you, Jazz McKenzie, what a way to go. You are perfect.”

While Bublé didn’t elaborate, sources told the Sun that the jazz-pop crooner will not return to his big red chair after struggling with being away from his family.

“Michael has already said that he’s done with the show after this season,” the source said, according to the Sun, later adding, “He said the fans’ negative comments have taken a toll on him and he needs to step away and take some time for himself and his family.”

Bublé was seeking his third straight victory after securing back-to-back wins in his first two seasons on The Voice, with season 26’s Sofronio Vasquez and season 27’s Adam David.

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Michael Bublé Has at Least One New Project in the Works

While the five-time Grammy Award winner hasn’t released new music since 2022’s Higher, Bublé confirmed earlier this month during an appearance on the Not Gonna Lie podcast with Kylie Kelce that he is working on a country album.

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“I’m so excited to put out this record. I don’t know if 10 people are going to love it, but I don’t care, because I feel like I’ve earned the right to make a beautiful record,” the “Feeling Good” hitmaker gushed.

Featured image by Griffin Nagel/NBC