Blake Shelton’s new singing competition, The Road, is set to make its premiere on the 2025 TV schedule on October 19, but his old buddies over on The Voice just can’t seem to quit this cowboy. Two years (and five seasons) after the country music star turned his Big Red Chair for the last time, Shelton is still getting trolled by his former colleagues — and, surprisingly, Niall Horan seems to have been the one to start it.
Of all The Voice coaches who have come and gone over the years, Blake Shelton has undoubtedly been the instigator of most of the drama, forming (friendly) rivalries with Adam Levine, Kelly Clarkson and even host Carson Daly. Niall Horan, however, was more of a son to Shelton, so it’s a bit surprising to hear the former One Direction member shading his pops in this Instagram video:
OK, who knew Niall Horan was such a good country singer? He and Blake Shelton really should collaborate on some music, because who taught him that warbling yodel that he did at the end there?
The ex-boy-bander tried his hand at Thomas Rhett’s new song “Old Tricks,” which just happens to feature Blake Shelton. Niall Horan couldn’t pass up the chance to take a shot at his buddy, as he said:
As you know, me and Thomas are good friends. However, he did pick — strangely — Blake Shelton to sing on this song. I don’t really understand why, but he finally got around to me.
Admittedly, this is some mild shade being thrown but, considering Niall Horan confirmed on the current season of The Voice that he’d “always” be Blake Shelton’s son (after Michael Bublé tried to usurp the position of Horan’s father), I’m still a bit surprised.
It’s definitely more a page out of Carson Daly’s book and, sure enough, The Voice host chimed in in the comments about how Niall Horan’s version of “Old Tricks” compared to that of his Barmageddon co-host, writing:
WAAAAYY better than [Blake Shelton’s] version!
They may have a funny way of showing it but, despite the barbs traded between Blake Shelton and Carson Daly, they became really close friends working together on The Voice for 12 years. Daly even officiated the cowboy’s wedding to Gwen Stefani — encouraging them to write their own vows, which led to Shelton penning their wedding song “We Can Reach the Stars.” (The song appears on the deluxe edition of his album, Body Language.)
Blake Shelton may not be sharing the screen with Niall Horan and/or Carson Daly anymore, but he hasn’t lost his passion for helping up-and-coming musical artists. His new show, The Road — which is executive produced by Taylor Sheridan — follows 12 budding country music artists around the country as they open for Keith Urban on tour.
The winner will receive $250,000 and a recording contract, but all of them will likely benefit from having Gretchen Wilson as their tour manager and Blake Shelton and Keith Urban there to impart their own wisdom. That’s not to mention the fans they make along the way while traveling the country.
Tune in to see Blake Shelton’s return to singing competitions when The Road premieres after Tracker, around 9 p.m. ET Sunday, October 19, on CBS. Meanwhile, you can find Niall Horan and Carson Daly on NBC, with The Voice Season 28 airing at 8 p.m. ET Mondays and Tuesdays.
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