‘The Voice’ Coach Gifts: Who Started the Tradition?
For years, artists on The Voice have been treated to gifts from the coaches as a reward for joining their teams (and sometimes a bribe). But where did the idea for coach gifts begin? Here’s a look back at the very first coach gift, plus some of the best swag over the years and what the season 23 coaches are offering this year.
Who started giving gifts on ‘The Voice’ first?
The Voice has been on the air since 2011, but the coaches didn’t start handing out gifts until Kelly Clarkson arrived in 2018. During her first time as a coach in season 14, Clarkson gave Team Kelly jackets to artists who joined her team. She has continued to do so in every season since then, changing up the color of the jackets each time. In one season, Clarkson offered black and gold Team Kelly jerseys.
“I love being a part of a team, and I want a group kind of thing and us to all kind of have something,” she explained in a video in 2019. “So the jackets are just a really cool thing to say thank you. … The jackets are rad.”
Many fans loved the jackets so much that they wanted their own. She tried to incorporate them into her merch on tours, but they “aren’t cheap” to make.
“I don’t want to hand my artists cheap stuff! I’m aiming high,” Clarkson said.
Other coaches slowly brought in their own unique swag
A few years after Clarkson started handing out gifts, Blake Shelton followed suit with a pair of pants that misspelled his first name. Nick Jonas and Gwen Stefani handed out a notebook and clothing, respectively. John Legend sang a song for his teammates, but he later stepped it up with a boxing robe.
Eventually, it became customary for all four coaches to hand out gifts, with NBC promoting the gift lineup each season. Shelton has sometimes gone beyond clothing, gifting artists a bobblehead or a cooler. Ariana Grande had one of the most practical gifts in season 21: a lunchbox filled with vocal health goodies.
“As a coach, I want them to maintain healthy instruments,” Grande said in a video, per People. “My gift this season is a lunch box. There are supplements and teas and honey packets to help soothe your voice.”
Last year, Camilla Cabello got creative with a fanny pack and an instant camera, which she used to take selfies with her teammates. That way, they had photos to remember their epic Blind Auditions.
‘The Voice’ Season 23 coach gifts, explained
The Voice Season 23 kicked off in early March. In addition to returning coaches Clarkson and Shelton, Chance the Rapper and Niall Horan signed on as newcomers — and they brought gifts, too. Clarkson stuck with her traditional jacket in a “nice wine burgundy” color, as she described it. Meanwhile, Horan handed out gray sweatshirts modeled after his “Hello Lovers” merch. Chance the Rapper opted for “3” baseball hats to match his signature look.
Shelton’s gift this year might be the funniest one yet. In honor of his final season of The Voice, he handed out blue Team Blake tees that read, “I’m on Blake’s LAST team and all I got was this lousy T-shirt.”
New episodes of The Voice Season 23 air on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET and Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.
