Blake Shelton Has the Best Reaction to Reba McEntire Replacing Him on The Voice

Blake Shelton is saddling up for Reba McEntire's The Voice takeover.

After NBC announced May 15 that the country legend will be replacing the longtime coach on the singing competition's upcoming 24th season, he's is weighing in on the Grammy winner's new gig.

"I'm excited about Reba coming on board," Shelton exclusively told E! News on the May 16 episode (airing tonight at 11 p.m.). "It's kind of meant to be I think. From the versions of the story that I've heard, she was the original coach that they wanted here on The Voice to be the country representation. So, now that I've had my run, for her to finally get the job that she was meant to have to begin with, it will be fun."

And the "God's Country" singer—who announced he was stepping away from the series in October—has full confidence in the star's coaching abilities.

"I know she's a fan of the show, so she's probably had ideas of how she would do this for a long time anyway," he continued. "I can't imagine what it's going to be like for those kids to get a chance to work with Reba. She's one of my heroes, she's an icon."

As for how McEntire feels about facing off against returning coaches Gwen Stefani, Niall Horan and John Legend next season, she told E! News she's "very excited" to take over for her fellow country superstar.

She added, "I'm not really worried about the competition. I'll give them some tips every once and a while that will help them, but I'll be easy on them."

While the Reba star wasn't ready to join The Voice when it debuted back in 2011, she's sure season 24 will be hers to lose.

"Timing is everything and everything happens for a reason," the 68-year-old explained. "And 15, 16 years ago it wasn't the right time for me and now it is. That's about all I can say and I'm really looking forward to it." 

Hear more from Shelton and McEntire in the exclusive videos above and tonight, May 16, on E! News at 11 p.m. The Voice airs Mondays at 8 p.m. and Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on NBC.

(E! and The Voice are both part of the NBCUniversal family)

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