Throughout its history on NBC, “The Voice” has welcomed more than a dozen different coaches to guide the contenders. Blake Shelton has been the only coach for all seasons, though he left in 2023. Others along the way for the Emmy-winning reality TV show have been Christina Aguilera, Camila Cabello, Chance the Rapper, Kelly Clarkson, Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, Cee-Lo Green, Niall Horan, Jennifer Hudson, Nick Jonas, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Adam Levine, Shakira, Gwen Stefani, Usher and Pharrell Williams. Reba McEntire is set to make her debut in Fall 2023 with Season 24.
Our photo gallery below ranks every coach from worst to best, partially based on their championships but also considering their ability to choose artists, how they offered advice for their contenders, song choices and other abilities. Do you agree or disagree with our “The Voice” coaches ranked listings? Gallery updated March 2023. Captions by Marcus James Dixon and Denton Davidson.
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18. Shakira
Image Credit: NBC Seasons 4, 6
0 Wins
The bubbly Colombian superstar was a breath of fresh air when she joined “The Voice” in 2013. She would often make jokes about Usher, Adam and Blake not understanding women when trying to convince female artists to join her team. And her connection to the artists she worked with felt genuine and heart-felt. But the harsh reality is that during her two seasons on the coaching panel, she never got a single artist to the finale. That just can’t be ignored, no matter how likable she is.
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17. Ariana Grande
Image Credit: Trae Patton/NBC Season 21
0 Wins
Superstar Ariana Grande joined the coaching panel for the Fall 2021 season on NBC. The pop superstar coached her artists with grace, kindness and love, and promised each of them she’d remain in their lives long after the show wrapped. Unfortunately, none of her artists made it to the finale.
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16. Chance the Rapper
Image Credit: Trae Patton/NBC Season 23
0 Wins
Hip-hop star Chance the Rapper joined as a coach in Spring 2023 for the show’s 23rd season on NBC. Notably, he didn’t receive as much screen time as his fellow coaches, particularly Blake Shelton as it was his last season. Chance also wasn’t asked back for Season 24, while his fellow first-timer Niall Horan was invited to return.
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15. Jennifer Hudson
Image Credit: Trae Patton / NBC Seasons 13, 15
0 Wins
The Oscar-winning actress and singer best known for her powerful delivery of torch ballads proved to be an immediate force on the coaching panel when she debuted in Season 13. She made her presence known early after successfully securing the first four-chair turn blind audition of the cycle. Hudson then wisely moved into the live shows with a diverse team that consisted of a gospel powerhouse, a teen heartthrob and a pop/soul diva-in-training. Her habit of singing over contestants in the early rounds and her competitive nature drew criticism from some fans, while others found it refreshing and fun. But in order to move higher up the list, Hudson needs more time to prove she can mentor a winning artist.
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14. CeeLo Green
Image Credit: NBC Seasons 1-3, 5
0 Wins
Although he was one of the original coaches of the series, CeeLo feels like more than an afterthought at this point. It is difficult to remember standout moments he created outside of wearing crazy outfits all the time. He was never fortunate enough to coach a winner but he did have moderate successes in his first three season, including Juliet Simms taking second in Season 2. But by his final season he seemed completely uninterested in being there at all, failing to lead anyone to the finale.
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13. Miley Cyrus
Image Credit: NBC Seasons 11, 13
0 Wins
If being fun to watch was the only criteria, Cyrus would rank much higher on the list. Unfortunately, it takes more to be a successful coach. There may not be anyone more invested in her contestants. It has been reported that she dedicated more of her time to her artists than any other coach. But she also made a ton of mistakes, including eliminating Chloe Kohanski, who went on to win after being stolen by Blake Shelton. She paired up contestants in the battle and knock-out rounds that made no sense. She also made obscure and horrible song choices for many on her team. It is great that she helped them develop as artists, but at the same time, the point is to win. And her song choices were not the kinds that garner votes from the public.
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12. Nick Jonas
Image Credit: Trae Patton/NBC Seasons 18, 20
0 Wins
As the new kid on the block at the start of the 2020 season, Nick really stood out in the blind auditions for his way of speaking to the artists in a down-to-earth manner and writing special notes about them as they performed. He also savvily stole Thunderstorm Artis from Team Legend, the eventual runner-up, proving he has an eye for the competition aspect of the show. This kid is going places.
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11. Camila Cabello
Image Credit: Trae Patton/NBC Season 22
0 Wins
The solo singer and former Fifth Harmony superstar officially joined “The Voice” judging panel in Fall 2022, and she quickly impressed viewers in the blind auditions by acquiring four artists that were four-chair turns: Morgan Myles, Orlando Mendez, Andrew Igbokidi and Grace Bello. Morgan even made it all the way to the season finale, but alas, she didn’t win.
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10. Usher
Image Credit: NBC Seasons 4, 6
1 Win
At times it seemed like Usher would rather be anywhere but the coach’s chair, but you simply can’t deny his track record. Usher expressed in an interview that he would, at times, purposely act indifferent because he thought the reverse psychology would lure contestants to his team. It wasn’t a great tactic and it made for poor television. That being said, in his debut season he led Michelle Chamuel all the way to second place. In his second and final season (so far), he took Josh Kaufman all the way to the winner’s circle after coyly stealing him from Team Adam.
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9. Christina Aguilera
Image Credit: NBC Seasons 1-3, 5, 8, 10
1 Win
Known for being one of this generation’s most gifted singers, Aguilera was the top choice for “Voice” producer Mark Burnett when he was creating this series. But it took her a while to find her groove as a coach, not always able to convince contestants to choose her over others on the panel — and sometimes failing to even get an artist to the finals. But by Season 5, a refreshed and more determined Aguilera led Jacquie Lee to a runner-up finish. And she was never more convincing than in Season 10 when she lured Alisan Porter to her team after a four-chair turn blind audition. Porter ended up winning the season, making Aguilera the first female coach in the winner’s circle. Aguilera wins the “most improved” coach award and receives extra props for being a trailblazer.
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8. Niall Horan
Image Credit: Greg Noire for iHeartRadio/CW Seasons 23-Present
1 Win
The One Direction alum joined as a coach in Spring 2023 for the show’s 23rd season on NBC. He sat next to Blake for his final season, and they shared a hilarious son-father vibe throughougt the competition. Niall surprised on finale night with his young artist Gina Miles, who beat Blake’s pair of last artists of all time.
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7. Alicia Keys
Image Credit: NBC Seasons 11-12, 14
1 Win
In her second season the iconic soul singer was able to lead her protégée, Chris Blue, to the winner’s circle, proving she was a quick read when it comes to coaching. Perhaps the most impressive piece of Keys’ game is her ability to win over contestants after the blind auditions. Watching her put the smackdown on her fellow coaches, especially veterans like Levine and Shelton, was a thing of beauty. She quickly learned from her freshman season mistakes, understanding the importance of song choice more than ever. Her connection to her artists runs deep; and no other coach was able to sound so genuine and sincere when praising an artist’s talent and individuality.
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6. Pharrell Williams
Image Credit: NBC Seasons 7-10
1 Win
There simply isn’t a more likable coach than Williams, who is better than anyone at luring artists to his team after blind auditions. His ability to look an artist in the eyes and convince them that they are individuals who need to be celebrated for their own unique ability is unmatched. The highlight of Williams’ time on the panel was Season 8, when he coached Sawyer Fredericks to victory. The one quality Williams lacks is a competitive spirit. He has literally chosen weaker performers over stronger ones in battle or knockout rounds, knowing the other would be stolen, just to keep everyone in the competition. More than anyone, he puts the contestants first and it is endearing.
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5. Gwen Stefani
Image Credit: NBC Seasons 7, 9, 12, 17, 19, 22, 24
1 Win
Gwen Stefani always felt like an odd choice to be on this series, and she’s had mixed results. Our biggest issue with Stefani is her love affair with the clothes and image of an artist. For a series called “The Voice,” it is the opposite of what the show stands for at its very core. However, during the 19th season Stefani completely redeemed herself by nurturing teenager Carter Rubin all the way to the finish line. She returns again in Season 22.
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4. John Legend
Image Credit: Trae Patton/NBC Seasons 16-22, 24
1 Win
In 2019 John Legend came on strong as the latest coach, having just received the last letter in his prestigious EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony). The other judges realized Legend was a force to be reckoned with when artist after artist chose to be on his team instead of theirs. In the season finale, Legend’s pop singer Maelyn Jarmon (Season 16) claimed victory thanks in part to Blake Shelton having three of the four finalists, which split his own vote.
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3. Adam Levine
Image Credit: NBC Seasons 1-16
3 Wins
No coach was more vocally and visibly competitive than Levine. He was tenacious in his quest for victory and came out on top three times with Javier Colon (Season 1), Tessanne Chin (Season 5), and Jordan Smith (Season 9). What Levine understood, perhaps more than anyone outside of Shelton, was the importance of song choice. All three of his winners had the ability to sing big, sweeping ballads and he knew these were the type of artists that could win.
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2. Kelly Clarkson
Image Credit: Trae Patton/NBC Seasons 14-21, 23
4 Wins
This original winner of “American Idol” joined “The Voice” in 2018 and quickly won three of her first four contests: Brynn Cartelli (Season 14), Chevel Shepherd (Season 15) and Jake Hoot (Season 17). When Adam Levine shockingly left the reality TV show, Clarkson became Blake Shelton’s new punching bag in terms of making fun of her at every turn. But we know it’s all for show — they’re best friends in real life. Kelly won her fourth trophy with Girl Named Tom (Season 21), the first ever group to prevail.
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1. Blake Shelton
Image Credit: NBC Seasons 1-23
9 Wins
It is tough to argue Shelton topping this list considering he won nine championships as a coach before saying goodbye at the end of Season 23. Some may argue he had a lock on all of the country artists, but his first win came in Season 2 with R&B singer Jermaine Paul. Up next was Cassadee Pope in Season 3, who was more of a pop singer at the time. Later, country artists reigned supreme on Team Blake with Danielle Bradbery (Season 4), Craig Wayne Boyd (Season 7) and Sundance Head (Season 11) all taking home trophies. It is also worth noting that artists on Shelton’s team had the most success on the music charts after their time on “The Voice” has ended. His final four championship victories were for Chloe Kohanski (Season 13), Todd Tilghman (Season 18), Cam Anthony (Season 20) and Bryce Leatherwood (Season 22).
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TBD: Reba McEntire
Image Credit: Tyler Golden/NBC Season 24
Reba McEntire will replace Blake Shelton in his big red chair when Season 24 debuts in Fall 2023. The country legend is no stranger to NBC’s reality TV competition series, serving as the mega mentor for every coach in Season 23 and Season 8, and helping out Team Blake during Season 1.
