Taylor Swift Will be a Mentor on The Voice—and She's Already Getting Emotional

From Oprah Magazine

• The Voice returns for season 17 on NBC this fall on Monday, September 23 at 8 p.m. ET.

• The show is now down to just one of its original coaches, with only Blake Shelton remaining from the OG lineup.

• In the brand new trailer, the coaches—Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, John Legend, and Kelly Clarkson—join host Carson Daly for a slumber party.

• Most recently, Taylor Swift was announced as a mega mentor, which she previously did back in 2014 for season 7.

• Here's everything else you need to know about the new season.

Between Love Island, Big Brother and Songland, it was a pretty great summer to be a reality TV fan. But the fall TV season is now here, and it's brought the return of several faves, including Dancing with the Stars, Survivor, and NBC's juggernaut The Voice. The Emmy-winning show is headed into its 17th season.

When does The Voice season 17 air?

The Voice season 17 will premiere on NBC on Monday, September 23 at 8 p.m. ET, with the next episode immediately following on Tuesday, September 24 in the same time slot. New episodes will then continue to air on the same schedule every Monday and Tuesday night.

Is there a trailer?

Absolutely. Switching things up, the new promotional video finds the coaches—Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, John Legend, and Kelly Clarkson—cozying up to have a slumber party hosted by Carson Daly.

Who are The Voice season 17 coaches/judges?

Only one of the show's original four judges will be coming back for the new season. In May, it was announced that Adam Levine would be leaving the show after season 16. “I am truly honored to have been a part of something I’ll always cherish for the rest of my life," Levine wrote in an emotional Instagram post announcing his departure. "Thank you to everyone who supported this long strange and amazing left turn into a place I never thought I’d go.”

In addition, Taylor Swift was announced as a mega mentor.

“And our @NBCTheVoice mega mentor is….. @TaylorSwift!!! #TheVoice @johnlegend,” Shelton wrote in a 'gram.

Specifically, she'll help the coaches give the singers advice as they enter the Knockout Rounds in October.

“The first season that she came on, she instantly knew what to say, knew what her job was and was great at it,” Shelton told People about Swift. “This season, she brings even more experience to the table. It’s no accident that she’s the biggest star in the world. She’s not only talented, but she’s really smart. So it’s fun to work with.”

Stefani opened up about Swift's role too, adding, "[I] think Taylor’s gift is more her songwriting, and I feel like that’s the same for me so I thought we related to each other a lot. There’s so much to it, and she had so much to offer as far as advice. It’s pretty rare what she has accomplished. She’s just so relatable in the way she writes, especially to girls — and to me.”

And, of course, Clarkson revealed that Swift is already getting emotional. “She cares about the artists—that’s what I loved about working with her the first time,” Clarkson told People. “I loved that she actually cared and invested. She cried a couple of times. She was really into it.”

Levine's fellow original coaches Christina Aguilera and CeeLo Green had previously left the show, which now means that Blake Shelton is the only one of the original quartet returning for season 17. But he'll be in very good company–John Legend, Kelly Clarkson, and Gwen Stefani, all of whom are Voice veterans, will be in the red chairs alongside Shelton. Stefani, of course, is also Shelton's girlfriend in real life, and Shelton recently spoke to Entertainment Tonight about her return to the show.

"By the time I found out what was going on, which was only about 12 hours before the announcement, they had already reached out to Gwen’s camp and said, ‘Look, Adam’s decided he’s gonna move on, we’re ready for Gwen if she’s in,'” Shelton said. “I’m like, trying to get in the middle of this, literally, I got on the phone with one of the NBC executives, and I was saying, ‘Hey man, if Adam’s gonna do this, we have got to-' and before I could even finish my sentence, she said, ‘Blake, it’s done. What are you doing?’ And I went, ‘Oh, okay. Perfect!'”

He added that having Stefani back on the show helped to "soften the blow" of Levine's departure.

Is Carson Daly still going to be the host of The Voice?

Longtime host Carson Daly will also return for season 17.

What is the format of The Voice season 17?

As fans will no doubt remember, The Voice switched up its format in season 16, eliminating the traditional knockout rounds and introducing "cross battles," where coaches were able to choose who they competed against. The change proved controversial, and per TV Guide, the show will go back to its tried-and-true knockout round format for season 17. But full details on the new season haven't yet been released, so it's definitely possible there could be a few surprises to come.

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