McEntire will return to the NBC singing competition series alongside Snoop Dogg, Michael Bublé and Niall Horan for season 28 later this year

Reba McEntire in May 2025.Credit : 

Joining The Voice as a coach wasn’t always Reba McEntire’s plan.

In a new interview on Late Night with Seth Meyers, the 70-year-old country superstar opened up about why she didn’t initially want to become a coach on the hit NBC singing competition series.

“I was really dreading it at first because I don’t want to tell anybody they suck,” said McEntire, who appeared on the show as a part-time advisor three times before officially getting her own red chair for season 24.

The “Fancy” singer explained, “I passed on it years ago when it first came over from Holland, and I said, ‘I can’t tell somebody, you know, don’t give up your day job.’ I’m not gonna do that!”

“But the way we did it on the first time I was on The Voice, it was more helpful and encouraging,” added McEntire, who will return for season 28 later this year alongside Snoop Dogg, Michael Bublé and Niall Horan.

“We’re nice people,” she said of the coaching crew. “We encourage. We lift up.”

Carson Daly, Michael Bublé, Gwen Stefani, Reba McEntire and Snoop Dogg.Trae Patton/NBC via Getty

Between coaching on The Voice, acting on Happy’s Place and hosting the recent 2025 ACM Awards, McEntire is quite busy as of late. She’s also celebrating 50 continuous years in country music and recently told PEOPLE it’s a “mind-boggling” anniversary.

“Very grateful, very thankful,” she said earlier this month of her feelings toward the special milestone.

Reba McEntire on ‘The Voice’.Griffin Nagel/NBCvia Getty

“I never thought at the 20th anniversary that I’d be hitting this one. But I have to give a lot of credit to people who have been before me — Tammy [Wynette], Dolly [Parton], Loretta [Lynn] — who have paved the roads for girl singers of my generation and the ones that are coming up after me,” added McEntire. “So it’s been a lot of fun.”

“You always want to work real hard and make them proud,” she added.

Reba McEntire in May 2025.Lloyd Bishop/NBC via Getty

The Grammy winner also gave thanks above for her lasting musical tenure. “God gave me a gift and I try to use it and to give him all the praise and the glory,” she said. “Because without him I wouldn’t have had it and could have given it to somebody else, so I try to make him proud.”

Last week, McEntire released her new single “Trailblazer” with Miranda Lambert and Lainey Wilson. The track marks the “Consider Me Gone” performer’s first release since last year’s “I Can’t.”