A country singer needs to replace Blake Shelton on The Voice, but don't take our word for it.

Longtime coach John Legend said that in 2022, and he suggested one of the 11 artists on our list of possible replacements for the OG coach.

"I could see, like, Carrie doing it," Legend told Extra, referring to Carrie Underwood. "She's in the NBC family ... she sings on our Sunday night broadcast (Sunday Night Football) every Sunday."

  • Blake Shelton has been a coach for all 23 seasons of The Voice.
  • He announced he'll exit after the current Season 23, in May 2023.
  • Host Carson Daly is the only other cast member to last all 23 seasons.

It's a valid point, and network affiliation does seem to grease the wheels. Remember, Carson Daly had a late night NBC talk show when he started hosting, and even Shelton was part of the short-lived Clash of the Choirs on NBC before he got the gig in 2011.

The reason why The Voice needs to keep it country may or may not be obvious. With seven country winners (and nine total Team Blake winners), it's the dominant genre. Country fans watch and vote, thus plumping up the coveted 18-49-year-old demographic (for more evidence of this, look at American Idol, where four of the last six winners have been country singers).

So, Underwood would be the perfect choice — except it's unclear how she feels about judging or coaching. That's not the case for a few other country women, notably Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire. Plus, a few country men — like Brad Paisley and Keith Urban — have judged reality shows before.

Take a look at 11 potential country candidates to replace Shelton on The Voice, along with betting odds that are only intended to symbolize the likelihood. Seriously — we made up those odds, so don't try putting money on the line for this kind of thing. Seriously.

'The Voice': Country Singers Who Could Replace Blake Shelton (With Odds)

Blake Shelton is set to leave The Voice after 23 seasons, and a country singer is going to replace him, right? Nashville's greatest export is too important to the show to ignore, which means one of these 11 artists will take his spot in the fall.

More From KDHL Radio