The Voice’s milestone 30th season is well underway after its three-night premiere on the 2026 TV schedule, and Queen Latifah and Riley Green may be the rookies this season, but you’d never be able to tell it from the way they’ve been holding their own against veteran coaches Adam Levine and Kelly Clarkson. That doesn’t mean it’s been easy, according to Green, and he got real about how “awkward” the Blind Auditions can be (and not just when Clarkson starts offering contestants her hair).
Riley Green is making quite an impression in his first season as a coach on The Voice, with his duck call, his mustache and his customized Big Red Chair. Although as is the case with many of the show’s new coaches, the country music star finds it challenging to turn people away, particularly the singers who aren’t chosen in the Blind Auditions. He told TV Line:
The problem with what we’re doing now is I’m facing away, then when I don’t turn, they still turn your chair [after], and you gotta explain why you didn’t turn. It’s tough.
I hadn’t considered just how awkward it would be to have your back turned for an artist’s entire performance and then have to look them in the eye while you explain why you didn’t hit your button.
Riley Green joked (maybe half-joked) that the coaches should start out facing the singer, then hit their button to turn their chair away if they’re not interested. It sounds a little cruel, but hey, at least that would get rid of all that pesky eye contact. He went on to explain why it can be such an uncomfortable situation, saying:
You can tell they’re very talented singers, but they come on there and it’s a very awkward thing. You got chairs facing away, lights on, cameras on, television audience there. They start singing and they’re really winded, which is a nerves thing. They can’t catch their breath. It’s people’s dreams, you know?
It definitely sounds like an intimidating atmosphere, especially when the stakes are so high. That’s something that Green keeps in mind when he has to give feedback to artists, and he admits it's something he’s struggled with on the show:
It does get tough to find new things to say when somebody’s not quite good. Musically, there’s only so many terms. I’m sitting there … I don’t want to say the same thing over and over again.
It’s nice that the coaches try to offer some constructive criticism for the artists who don’t get chosen, so that ideally no one walks away empty-handed.
Hopefully the “My Way” singer figures it out, because it’s already been announced that he’ll return alongside Queen Latifah and incoming coach Joe Jonas for Season 31’s The Voice: Celebrity. If turning down strangers is an issue for Riley Green, I can’t imagine it’s going to be any easier when the person looking back at him is a recognizable face.
See how the country star continues to handle those awkward Blind Auditions when The Voice Season 30 continues at 8 p.m. ET Mondays on NBC and streaming the next day with a Peacock subscription.
