Was he a two-season wonder? Since his exit after just two seasons, viewers have had questions over why Chance the Rapper is leaving The Voice and the real reason he stepped down after Season 25.
Chance the Rapper, whose real name is Chancelor Jonathan Bennett, joined as a coach on The Voice for Season 23, along Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, and Niall Horan. Shelton had been a coach since Season 1; Clarkson joined in Season 14; while Horan, like Chance, was also a new coach for Season 23. Chance came in fourth place on The Voice Season 23 with contestant Sorelle. The winner was contestant Gina Miles from Team Niall.
“I wanted to be a coach on The Voice because I like giving platforms to young artists—especially people who are already seasoned in their trade and know what they’re doing but just need the right spotlight. I wanted to be a part of the process,” Chance told NBC Insider before Season 23 about the reason he joined as a coach on The Voice.
He continued, “I think my biggest competition amongst the Coaches is probably Kelly, ’cause she’s a seasoned vet, she’s won a bunch of times, and people just gravitative towards her ‘cause they know she’s been in a competition. She’s mega famous. But imma still win though.”
He also revealed the one piece of advice that he gave contestants on Season 23. “My advice to the artists who are ‘gonna audition is be yourself, y’know what I mean? Remind yourself that you’re gonna be on TV regardless, so sing out and sing loud. Do exactly what you came in to do. Carry that confidence that got you to this point. I’m sure we’ll see you in the next round,” he said.
So why is Chance the Rapper leaving The Voice and what’s the real reason he’s not coming back after Season 25? Read on for what we know.
Why is Chance the Rapper leaving The Voice?
Why is Chance the Rapper leaving The Voice? Chance left The Voice the first time after Season 23 in 2024. He was replaced by returning coach John Legend and Gwen Stefani, as well as new coach Reba McEntire. Chance was one of three coaches to leave after The Voice Season 23, along with Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton, who had been a coach since Season 1.
While Chance didn’t give a reason to why he didn’t return to The Voice for Season 24, he did note on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in March 2023 that he was busy working on his second studio album, Star Line, so it’s possible that he didn’t come back to have time to work on the record. Chance also revealed on The Tonight Show Starring which will have a gallery of 16 original pieces of artwork as its cover. “What I’ve been trying to do, and learning to do, is collaborate with visual artists in the process of making my songs,” he said at the time. “[I’m] having each individual song have its own visible, like physical, tangible, piece of art that goes along with it.”
Chance left The Voice again after Season 25 in 2024. This time, he was replaced by returning coach Gwen Stefani, as well as new coaches Snoop Dogg and Michael Buble. Chance again didn’t confirm the reason he was leaving The Voice, but given that he still hasn’t released his second album, Star Line, he could be exiting to finish that up. Chance is also going through a lot in his personal life. A month before he left The Voice for a second time, news broke that Chance and his wife, Kirsten Corley, were divorcing after five years of marriage.
“After a period of separation, the two of us have arrived at the decision to part ways,” the two said in a joint statement on their Instagram at the time. “We came to this decision amicably and with gratitude for the time we spent together.” It continued: “God has blessed us with two beautiful daughters who we will continue to raise together. We kindly ask for privacy and respect as we navigate this transition. Thank you.”
As for Chance’s upcoming album, the title of Star Line is inspired by Chance’s Black Line Star Festival, which he held in Ghana in January 2023. “The Black Star Line Festival is more than just a celebration of Black culture and music, it’s a chance for the Diaspora to come together as a community and remind ourselves of the power that lies within us,” Chance said in a statement to Billboard at the time. “It’s an opportunity to honor the legacy of those who came before us, and to inspire and uplift each other.”
Is Chance the Rapper coming back to The Voice?
While Chance’s time on The Voice was short-lived, he did tell the podcast “Audacy Check” in 2023 about why he enjoyed his experience on the NBC show more than his last singing competition show. (Chance was also a judge on Netflix’s Rhythm and Flow in 2019 with rappers Cardi B and Tip “T.I.” Harris.)
“Being honest, I didn’t know that you got to be with the artists like this,” he admitted. “Because I did a show before and, you know, it was amazing because there’s so much original music but you don’t [spend time with the contestants],” Chance said. “In [The Voice], they call them coaches as opposed to judges,” he said. “You really are like, coaching these artists and working with them and finding out their inspirations and music they grew up listening to.”
He continued, “It’s like a real connection that you have, that was different. So getting to work with them on, like, new pieces of music and, like, arranging songs and really just, like, getting to enjoy music, like having fun and jamming? It’s like a thing that I grew up doing!”
Chance also told news station WTHR in 2023 that he didn’t expect being a coach on The Voice to be “so cool.” “It was pretty surreal. I didn’t expect it,” he said. “And once I started doing the show, I didn’t expect it [to] be so fun and so cool. Blake is hilarious, and Kelly’s always been cool. Niall [Horan] is awesome.”
He also told the station that he would “love” to return to the show, according to Entertainment Tonight. For Chance’s return, he told the news station that he would bring several of his famous friends to join him, including Justin Bieber and Quavo, a member of the rap group Migos.
When asked by “Audacy Check” in 2023 about what song he would audition for The Voice with, Chance laughed and answered “The Thong Song” by Sisqo.“ You have to do something you know the words to, you know what I’m saying?” he said.
