Blake Shelton Says There's 'No One Better' Than Reba McEntire to Replace Him on 'The Voice' (Exclusive)

etonline.com:

Blake Shelton is saying goodbye to after 23 seasons — but he couldn't be more thrilled about his replacement!NBC announced on Monday that country music legend Reba McEntire will officially be stepping in for the departing coach in the next season of the long-running singing competition, set to premiere this fall.Reba will draw from her iconic career as she shares her expertise with hopeful up-and-comers, joining veteran coach John Legend and returning coaches Niall Horan and Gwen Stefani.When ET's Cassie DiLaura spoke with Blake ahead of live semifinals on Monday, he shared how excited he was to have Reba taking over his coveted spinning chair."[There's] no one better than Reba, honestly," he raved. «To be honest, and I don't mean this as a dig to anybody, I'm shocked that they got her.

I mean, Reba is an icon. Getting her to even be a mentor on the show, I was going, whoa! There's been a handful of artists over the years, like Dolly [Parton], and we had Bette Midler, we've had Taylor Swift… Reba is one of those to me that's like, 'Oh my god, we got Reba!

Reba's coming in!' Even though I know her on a friendship level, I've never gotten away from that.»While he's had some nostalgic moments throughout his final season, Blake says he's comfortable with his decision to walk away from the singing competition and explore other projects.«I'm excited.

I'm in a good place about this, you know? I don't have any regrets about it,» he shared.«I'm definitely going to miss it at times, but it's time.