The Voice Adds John Legend As New Coach For Season 16

John Legend Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert NBC
(Image credit: James Dimmock/NBC)

The fifteenth season of The Voice has not even premiered yet, and we already have some crucial news surrounding the series' next season. As is the case with the often ever-revolving cast of The Voice's coaches' panel, there will be changes for Season 16's. So, what's changing? Well, the series is set to welcome a new coach! NBC has announced that John Legend has joined the cast of Season 16.

The multi-talented star, who just earned EGOT status, can now add Voice coach to his slate of credits. EGOT, for those who may not know, is winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony award. John Legend has previously appeared on The Voice as a guest and mentor. Joining Legend are returning coaches and Voice veterans Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. Kelly Clarkson will also return, marking back-to-back seasons for the American Idol winner, as Clarkson will also serve as a coach in Season 15.

Also not changing is the series' host. Carson Daly will reprise hosting duties in the upcoming season. Daly will definitely have an eventful season in front of him. The Voice has arranged for an impressive lineup, and John Legend is a strong choice for the show. Fresh off his Emmy win as a producer for Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert, Legend is continuing to be, well, pretty legendary.

And fans can likely look forward to John Legend's supportive wife Chrissy Tiegan live-tweeting her husband's coaching debut on the series. Of course, she may prefer to take it in without social media.

In a statement coinciding with the announcement, John Legend expressed his excitement over joining the show as a coach, saying that he looks forward to helping the talented singers that are discovered "make the most of their gift." And we already know what social media hashtag the multi-talented artist will be using to promote his team. That would be #TeamJL. Let the tweeting begin!

If you are trying to figure out who will be missing from Season 15's coaches' list, we have your answer. John Legend's debut on The Voice means that Season 15 coach Jennifer Hudson will not be returning to coach Season sweet 16. Yes, the series is well into its teen seasons now. And even as it is well on its way to surpassing its mid-teens, NBC's talent show continues to be a force in the ratings.

Given that The Voice, like Dancing with the Stars, is a bi-annual series, fans can likely expect to see John Legend taking on his coaching duties in Spring 2019. In the meantime, The Voice Season 15 premieres Monday, September 24 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, along with countless other series entering the fall fray, including on NBC.

Britt Lawrence

Like a contented Hallmark movie character, Britt happily lives in the same city she grew up in. Along with movies and television, she is passionate about competitive figure skating. She has been writing about entertainment for 5 years, and as you may suspect, still finds it as entertaining to do as when she began.