The Voice Season 28 Has Started Filming, And I’m So Pumped To See Niall Horan Reunited With ‘Best Friend’ Reba McEntire

The coaches are back in the Big Red Chairs, as filming has begun on The Voice’s 28th season, set to hit the 2025 TV schedule later this year. I think we’re in for a really fun time, and fans are super excited for Niall Horan’s return. I’m pumped for that as well, especially because it means he’ll be reuniting with Reba McEntire, who he formed the sweetest bond with on Season 24, becoming “best friends.”

I didn’t think anything could be cuter than Niall Horan’s father-son relationship with Blake Shelton on the cowboy’s farewell season, but then Reba McEntire came along. It seems like she not only took Shelton’s chair, she took his buddy, as evidenced by a TikTok video she shared at the time:

Given how close Blake Shelton and Reba McEntire are, I guess it makes sense that Niall Horan would also get along with the “Fancy” singer. He also seemed pretty close to Gwen Stefani — close enough to call her by a sweet nickname, at least.

I’m not sure what forces brought them together; I’m just living for how much Queen Reba seems to love the “Heaven” singer. Just look at these smiles:

That doesn’t mean the competition won’t be fierce. Reba McEntire definitely shares some of Blake Shelton’s troublemaking tendencies, which Niall Horan is aware of after she broke into his dressing room and recorded a message on his phone back before she was even a coach on The Voice:

If these are the kinds of antics we can expect from The Voice Season 28, bring it on. We already know that Reba McEntire, Snoop Dogg and Michael Bublé have great chemistry, with the country queen declaring Season 26 her favorite. Snoop is so hilarious and uplifting and such a delight to watch, while Bublé cracks me up with his dumb jokes.

The Canadian crooner — who’s trying to get the hat trick after winning Seasons 26 and 27 — suggested he may be struggling to film his team, posting on Instagram:

Snoop Dogg, meanwhile, looked as cool as ever in his Instagram Stories (via NBC), where he showed the enthusiastic crowd around him. Reba McEntire looked dialed in, sharing a photo of herself in her Big Red Chair and referencing her other show across the alley, as she wrote:

Snoop Dogg and Reba McEntire have their work cut out for them. Niall Horan and Michael Bublé are both coming into Season 28 undefeated, each winning their first two showings back-to-back (Seasons 23 and 24 for Horan; 26 and 27 for Bublé). At least one will see their first defeat.

No premiere date has been set for The Voice’s upcoming season, but now that filming is underway, I’m getting really pumped to see not just a great competition but the silly rapport between these four coaches and the sweet friendship between Niall Horan and Reba McEntire. Episodes will air on NBC this fall and stream the next day with a Peacock subscription.