Turns out it’s impossible to compete with Ariana Grande!
On Friday night, the pop star uploaded a seemingly normal photo dump on Instagram, only toward the back of the carousel it revealed a wild text she received from one of her new co-stars on The Voice, Blake Shelton!
The country star texted her a screenshot of an OK! Magazine article which reported:
“Producers At ‘The Voice’ May Replace Blake Shelton After Ariana Grande Brings A ‘Fresh’ Energy To The Show.”
Uh, oh! The NBC mainstay might lose his job because of the brand new judge??
Related: Why Ariana Grande’s Victorious BFF Turned Down An Invite To Her Wedding!
Gwen Stefani’s husband followed up with a sassy text, adding:
Thanks a lot, Ari… Thanks a f**kin’ lot…”
Ha!
Clearly Blake is unbothered by the rumors, and so is Ari since she loved both the messages — oh, and wasn’t afraid to post them online! LOLz!! And her friends on social media were loving the exchange too! Katy Perry made sure everyone knew what the buzz was about by chiming in:
“Last slide”
The singer’s brother, Frankie Grande, added:
“YOURE SO FUNNY!!!!”
But is this a laughing matter?? Maybe not for Blake, who’s starred as a judge on the competition series since its premiere in 2011! According to the original source of the rumor, Radar Online, insiders think the TV personality could be nearing the end of the road because of the Rain On Me vocalist’s popularity. They claimed:
“After a decade on the show, producers are quietly looking to replace Blake with someone younger and more current. Blake is great but he is not in Ariana’s league.”
Who is?? Ari is obviously in a league of her own! That said, it is pretty impressive that the 45-year-old has maintained his gig for so long seeing as all the other judges have changed over multiple times, including the departure of his former on-screen BFF/rival Adam Levine!
Related: Kelly Price Opens Up About Missing Persons Report
The outlet also learned that the Victorious alum has changed the game by joining The Voice, noting:
“Current top ten artists like Justin Bieber, Lil Nas X, Billie Elish, Olivia Rodrigo, and The Weeknd, were all hesitant about starring on a competition show before Ariana Grande signed on.”
Giving Ariana ALL the credit for jump-starting a fresh perspective for the reality competition series, the source continued:
“Now she has changed everything and opened the flood gates to future relevant talent which isn’t good news for Blake Shelton. Sure, he is a star and people love him, but he doesn’t exactly burn up the charts anymore.”
Hah! So harsh! And, TBH, we have a hard time believing stars like Olivia Rodrigo and Lil Nas X would want to sign on as a judge at the peak of their stardom, even if Ariana is paving the way for them.
That said, an anonymous Hollywood agent seemed to agree with the speculation, noting to the outler:
“It is time for a shake-up. The only way the show remains fresh is by constantly evolving. Huge stars that wouldn’t even consider joining the show a few months ago are now thinking again, thanks to Ariana.”
According to OK! Mag, the performer might have another gig lined up if he does get booted from the series — he and his wifey are considering heading out on a joint tour! A confidant exclusively told the outlet:
“By touring together, their work schedules would be aligned. They want to be a team both off stage.”
That would certainly be fun for fans! They wouldn’t be the first famous lovers to jet around the world together; they would be following in the footsteps of iconic duos like Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, and JAY-Z and Beyoncé. Oh, and there could be MILLIONS to be made, which would likely put his Voice paycheck to shame. The insider mused:
“These duos have made millions hitting the road together, and Shelton and Stefani believe the formula can work for them too.”
Meanwhile, Shelton seems 100% determined to “beat” Ariana before he’s seen his last air time! In a Q&A ahead of the new season, the jokester commented on Nick Jonas’ replacement, teasing:
“I’m excited about Ariana joining the show because it’s somebody new for me to beat. The easiest defeat of my career was Nick Jonas. So I’m looking for a challenge. I think Ariana could be a challenge. I’m looking forward to beating her though.”
Well, it would be hard to fire him if he won, right?? But maybe after his many victories, the network wouldn’t care? Thoughts, Perezcious readers? Think these rumors might be true? Sound OFF in the comments (below)!
[Image via The Voice/YouTube]
The post Ariana Grande Posts Blake Shelton's Private Response To Rumors He's Getting Fired From <i>The Voice</i> appeared first on Perez Hilton.