- Riley Green is headed to the big red chairs on The Voice this fall.
- He didn’t apply for the job — NBC approached him.
- He admits he’s nervous about the gig, because he doesn’t know what to expect.
This fall, Riley Green will join The Voice as a coach for Season 30. It wasn’t a job he was chasing necessarily, but one he couldn’t turn down when NBC reps called.
“There were mentions that there was interest that I might be a possible candidate,” Riley explained during a recent guest appearance on Country Countdown USA With Lon Helton, indicating that he didn’t apply for the position, but was sought out.
“We were in L.A. and I did a show at the Grammy Museum, and we did a Q&A before the show. We had a good rapport, and that got me the job,” he continues. “The personality that Blake [Shelton] had is what they’re looking for. I also did a spot on Jimmy Fallon, where I got to visit with him and teach him a duck call. Those two things got me the job.”
Blake Shelton hasn’t been on The Voice since 2023, but maintains his stronghold as the longest-running coach (23 straight seasons) and the winningest coach (nine times) in the show’s history. Reba McEntire filled a hole left by the country star for four seasons, but fans have been clamoring for new faces from country music since her departure.
Riley admits on Country Countdown USA that he’s still feeling iffy about the gig. “I don’t know what to expect, except I know how the chair works,” he reveals. “I haven’t met any of the other coaches yet. Kelly [Clarkson] called me when I got the job. She’s a country fan, and I know she’s covered some of my songs.”
“I’m not sure about any of it, it’s such a different thing,” he furthers, “But I’ve met the team and I know what they need from me. It’s helpful to watch Blake and Luke Bryan, because now I know how to go about it and I’m excited about the coaching part of it.”
Riley will fill a seat on the reality singing competition starting in September, and he’ll be joined by another newcomer to the big red chairs: Queen Latifah. Adam Levine and Kelly Clarkson round out the foursome.
As one of the hottest commodities to come out of country music in the past ten years, Riley has really been embracing his newfound fame and all of the new opportunities it has brought, like acting. He recently played a four-episode role as Garrett on the Yellowstone spinoff series Marshals. Garrett, an ex-Navy SEAL, comes into the picture as a former friend of the show’s main character, Kayce Dutton, and he brings with him a dark history that includes PTSD. That was unfamiliar to the 37-year-old singer, too, but you couldn’t tell by watching. “The acting thing made me nervous because I’d never done any of it,” Riley says. “I mainly played myself in music videos.” His co-actors insist he did an impressive job.
Country music’s busiest man is also releasing a new album this fall, around the time that The Voice will premiere its new season: That’s Just Me drops September 18.
Amanda Hensel Jermstad is a skilled writer based in Austin, Texas. She spent 14 years as Editor-in-Chief of Taste of Country, where she led coverage of the artists, stories and trends shaping country music. With a career deeply rooted in the genre, Amanda has built a reputation for sharp editorial insight and authentic storytelling. Outside of work, she’s a proud mom of three.
