“The Voice” announced that Cee Lo Green and Christina Aguilera will be replaced by Shakira and Usher as celebrity coaches next spring—on the same week that rival “American Idol” debuted its new panel of celebrity judges.
NBC said Aguilera and Green are taking a break, not leaving the show permanently. Original coaches Adam Levine and Blake Shelton will remain on board.
The third season of “The Voice” began airing last week.
According to NBC, Aguilera is going on the road to support her new album, while Green is developing new music and a sitcom based on his life.
Because “The Voice” started as a midseason show and then added a fall cycle after posting solid ratings for NBC, the show has sucked much time from the coaches. The network’s entertainment chief, Bob Greenblatt, says NBC is glad to help Aguilera and Green take time away from the program.
“I really felt like we were friends. She made us enemies in a way that I could never understand,” he told Oprah. The crooner also noted that this interview would be the first and last time he would talk about his custody battle because he wants to teach his sons a very important lesson.
