When Reba McEntire Faced Backlash From ‘The Voice’ Viewers After the Dismissal of Noah Spencer

In an earlier episode of The Voice, Reba McEntire was in for a surprise. Dolly Parton's 1973 single, Jolene was likely what McEntire had in mind when she learned one of her contestants wanted to use it as their playoff song. Rather, the country legend got an unexpected surprise in the form of Noah Spencer's alternate rendition.

In his version of Jolene by Ray LaMontagne, McEntire urged Spencer to draw on more than just his voice. She instead advised the young hopeful to look at the people in the crowd as a means of communication. Despite his best efforts, Team Reba's Ruby Leigh, Jacquie Roar, and Jordan Rainer were selected to proceed to the next round, and Spencer was eliminated, per Taste Of Country.

The decision by Reba to release Spencer was met with disapproval from the fans. One of the viewers tweeted, "We love u #NoahSpencer Reba made a huge mistake." Another user wrote, "@reba made a big mistake letting Noah Spencer go. Amazing singer and storyteller."

A third chimed in, "Yeah, sometimes they say a great athletic person cannot coach well what about singers Reba? Let someone go Noah Spencer. I guess sometimes people are right." A fourth fan commented, "You screwed up! Should picked Noah Spencer over Jackie he would have won the entire show! Big screw-up!" One more fan called her out, "Extremely proud of Noah Spencer! You have made our town, friends, and family so proud. Reba messed up. The sky is the limit buddy."

Apart from Noah, at the beginning of Monday's broadcast, it was announced that country musician Tom Nitti had left the show and would not be participating in the competition. However, nothing further was said regarding his unexpected departure. Reba revealed, "I have wonderfully talented people, but Tom had to leave for personal reasons, so I only have five artists tonight." After performing a version of (I Know) I'm Losing You by The Temptations in the Knockout Round, Reba rescued him from elimination. In the Battle Round, he sang Cody Johnson's Til You Can't.

After that, Nitti shared a post on Instagram explaining why he wasn't going to be on the program. He wrote, "Well, I’ve been dreading this day ever since the airing of my blind audition so here goes nothin’. …First and foremost I’m blessed beyond belief and I can’t say enough how much I love and appreciate the constant support from my fans, my friends, and my family."

He continued, "As much as it absolutely stings to say, I had to make probably one of the hardest yet easiest decisions ever, and ultimately at the end of the day, my kids will always come first and if I had to make the same decision again I’d do it over and over," per People.

He concluded, "This isn’t the end of me and I’ll do what I do best for everyone to see which is keep my head down and move forward playing music and raising/creating new memories with a family I will continue to grow. I never believed in the whole, things happen for a reason statement but in this case, I think God has it all figured out."

Editor's note: This article was originally published on November 29, 2023. It has since been updated.