Blake Shelton Says Gwen Stefani’s Return To ‘The Voice’ ‘Is Very Comforting’

The Voice judge Gwen Stefani is back, and longtime beau Blake Shelton is excited to have her, reports Entertainment Tonight.

“Having Gwen back is very comforting to all the coaches,” Shelton shared. “We all know how to play each other at this thing. It felt like the old gang got back together again.”

Last season, Nick Jonas temporarily replaced Stefani as one of the show’s judges. Jonas sat alongside Shelton, R&B singer John Legend, and pop star Kelly Clarkson in the spinning chairs.

Legend also expressed his excitement for “The Sweet Escape” singer’s return.

“I know Blake is very excited and very happy to have Gwen back but we all love Gwen,” he explained, noting her spirit and energy brought a lot to the show.

Stefani chimed in on the excitement by saying she was grateful to be back.

In a video for ET, she also touched on the new, in-studio safety protocols that are in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

“It’s different, definitely different. Everyone has all these rules and we’re all being safe — it’s just actually a little bit more exciting than usual.”

The video gives a glimpse of what the competition will look like this season, including a T-shirt cannon that Stefani will be pulling out when she chooses a singer. The cannon is packed with “Team Gwen” shirts.

Additionally, Clarkson and pointed out that only Stefani and Shelton are allowed to be near each other while they work. That proximity was seen last month when a video of the judges singing a cover of Bob Marley’s “One Love” was released, as reported by The Inquisitr.

The “Nobody But You” singers have been in lockdown together since March. The pair had been staying at Shelton’s farm in Oklahoma, with his extended family and Stefani’s children. Stefani expressed her gratitude for the time alone with her longtime boyfriend. She felt they had been able to do things that they wouldn’t normally have time for in their busy schedules. She joked about the family attempting to make sourdough bread together, “like everybody else in America,” she said. The No Doubt frontwoman also spoke on how quarantine has affected her creative process, saying she got quite creative. Stefani confirmed she was writing music again.

“Writing new music makes me feel the best and makes me feel the most alive,” she said.

She also hinted at new music by fellow judge Clarkson, calling it very real, pure, and good.

The upcoming episodes of The Voice, which is filmed in Universal City, California, will not have the live audience buzz that the judges and contestants have grown accustomed to. The traditional audience will be replaced by live, virtual viewers. Shelton acknowledged the shift in energy from this change, saying that they could hear the artists much more clearly than before. He joked that the insults from the other judges could be heard more as well.

Shelton and Stefani expressed their gratitude for being able to continue working on the show despite the regulations. Shelton stated that the coaches were all happy to be a a comfort for viewers this year, while Stefani agreed and added her take.

“Music is the heartbeat of human beings, so I feel really blessed to be here and to be a part of that,” she said.

The Voice Season 19 will premiere on NBC on Monday, October 19 at 8 p.m. PT.