Fans of The Voice were dealt some pretty shocking news last week, when it was revealed that Season 31 of the singing competition would feature celebrity contestants. As unique and fun as that sounds, the announcement was bittersweet, because the spinoff — slated for spring 2027 — won’t feature Carson Daly as its host for the first time since its 2011 premiere. Rumors suggested Daly may have wanted to take a step back, but could money have also been a factor?
NBC announced that Keke Palmer will be handling hosting duties for The Voice: Celebrity, with Joe Jonas joining Season 30 rookies Queen Latifah and Riley Green on the coaching panel. According to a source for The Sun, Palmer coming on allegedly saves the network quite a bit of cash, as they said:
Carson was making close to $6 million a season, which includes both his hosting and his producer fee. That amount was not the same as when he joined the show’s first season. His salary went up as he continued to lead the series.
Keke Palmer will reportedly earn only about one-third of that, according to the insider, who added:
Keke, due to it being just her first season, is going to make closer to $2 million for her hosting role on Season 31 of The Voice. Her fee is just for hosting. She will not have producer credit, which also plays into the lower number.
It makes sense that the Nope star would start out earning less than Carson Daly makes after 15 years — especially considering she will not be a producer on the singing competition like Daly is. The former Total Request Live host will continue to serve as an executive producer on The Voice, but it’s unknown how much he’ll be paid without having "host" as part of his job duties.
The source didn’t specify whether or not money played into the decision to go with a new host (or, incidentally, to go back to having just three celebrity coaches, like on The Voice: Battle of Champions).
It was previously reported that Carson Daly allegedly wanted to take a step back to spend more time with his family, which he’d mentioned himself over a year ago on The Today Show. He also said in an Instagram post following the Season 31 announcement that he simply wasn’t right for this spinoff, writing:
I am not the right host for it. We have a NEW amazing HOST! The triple threat queen [Keke Palmer] who is PERFECT for it! I’m so grateful she carved out the time in her busy career to help us out.
Keke Palmer is already part of the NBC family, too, and she’s even won an Emmy for hosting Password.
As for whether The Voice will move forward with Keke Palmer or Carson Daly for Season 32 and beyond remains to be seen, as the door allegedly remains open for the longtime host to return.
That’s a problem for the future anyway, because we’ll still be able to see Carson Daly as the host of The Voice Season 30 when it premieres on the 2026 TV schedule at 8 p.m. ET Monday, September 21, on NBC and streaming the next day with a Peacock subscription.
