Reba McEntire recently spoke with Newsweek about her experience so far while being a judge on “The Voice,” saying she is “loving it” and is learning many new things from her fellow judges. “It’s a well-oiled machine, so getting in at this time is marvelous. Everybody knows the game plan, from the crew, the producers,” McEntire said. “Everybody on the show is so nice, so sweet and have been so helpful. I’m loving it.” She shared that she originally didn’t want to be a judge on the show, revealing that she turned down the offer 15 years ago. “I can’t be a mean judge. I mean, when I turned it down 15 years ago, when they wanted me to do The Voice, I said, ‘I can’t tell anybody that they’re horrible. I can’t say to somebody, ‘Well, is your mama gonna meet you at the bus station? Because you’re going home.’ I can’t do that,’” she said.

In an interview in 2020, McEntire spoke about the struggles of giving bad news to contestants, saying she believed it would take a toll on her if she had to repeatedly let them down. “So I learned from John, Gwen and Niall. Every day that we’re working on The Voice, I’m learning more from them how to let ’em down easy if they don’t get picked up, coach ’em, and if you can give them any advice whatsoever. Like if none of the coaches turn around, they’re going home immediately,” the singer said. “And so it’s good just to say, ‘If you want to come back again, try it again next season, maybe a song that suits you, one that you’re really comfortable with and that really shows your talent,’ give them advice, and encourage them to come back,” said the singer.

McEntire became a judge by taking Blake Shelton’s place and is judging alongside fellow singers Niall Horan, Gwen Stefani and John Legend. In her interview with Newsweek, McEntire spoke about the pressure of taking Shelton’s place on the show saying, “It’s a lot of pressure, because nobody can replace Blake Shelton. He’s a huge personality and a wonderful person. So I’m just getting in there trying to have fun and represent country music as best I can.”