Kelly Clarkson may have some fierce competition in the upcoming season of “The Voice.” Country superstar Riley Green has joined the coaching panel and is spilling on what’s it’s like to compete against the “American Idol” alum.
Riley Green vs. Kelly Clarkson
The “Worst Way” artist spilled the tea on competing against Kelly Clarkson on the upcoming season of “The Voice.”
“Kelly Clarkson sent me a message, kinda talking trash about the show,” Green teased to E! News on the red carpet at the 2026 American Music Awards. “Kelly’s definitely talked the most trash. So, she’ll probably be tough.”
Clarkson’s return to the coaching panel was announced earlier this month, after she revealed she is walking away from her beloved daytime talk show.
“Please give a warm welcome back to Coach Kelly Clarkson! The Voice returns this fall. | @NBC and streaming on Peacock,” the official Instagram page shared.
Clarkson first joined the coaching panel during season 14, but was forced to step away when she relocated her family from Los Angeles to New York.
In addition to Clarkson and Green, the coaches’ table will see the return of Maroon 5’s Adam Levine and another new face: Queen Latifah.
“I haven’t met Adam [Levine] yet,” Green told the outlet. “I love that we’re all gonna kinda meet each other and build that rapport in real time when we’re doing the show. So it’ll be real when we start filming.”
He added, “I got to meet Queen Latifah yesterday, and that was a big deal. She’s like a larger than life figure for me growing up.”
Riley Green Joins ‘The Voice’
Country music fans were thrilled when the hit NBC competition series announced the “You Look Like You Love Me” artist as the newest coach for season 30.
“I guess y’all can start calling me coach… see ya this fall. @nbcthevoice #thevoice,” Green shared via Instagram on May 9.
The series teased the announcement with cryptic clues about a “country” star.
“Something’s brewin’… and it sounds pretty country…” they shared. “A little country. A little chaos. More soon…”
They later shared a photo of an iconic red coach’s chair with a large mustache.
“Cue the boots, hats, and guesses below 👀 New Coach announcement INCOMING,” the captioned read.
Immediately after the announcement, Clarkson jumped at the chance to trash talk her new competitor.
“Riley Green, this is Kelly Clarkson,” she said in a voicemail shared via social media. “Uh, that is officially the last time we’re gonna use each other’s full names ’cause we’re not tools. We’ve never officially met, so I’m super stoked to coach alongside you. Welcome to ‘The Voice!'”
She added, “I was stoked when I heard you were gonna be a coach because I actually am a super fan of your music — you’re so good.”
That’s where the niceties ended for Clarkson, who added, “Anyway, big fan, but — needless to say, fan and all, it’s a competition. So I, as a future friend, I sent you something. A little gift, a little something (for) while you’re out on the road doing shows and getting your head in the game for ‘The Voice’ coming up, because I think you’re gonna need the practice.”
“‘Cause Team Kelly’s gonna whoop that ass,” she sang.
