Carson Daly’s son gets the inside scoop — and some blunt advice — from Blake Shelton on his final season of “The Voice.”
Jackson Daly sat down with the longest-serving coach on the March 16 episode of “Nightly News With Lester Holt: Kids Edition” and got down to business with one question.
“You and my dad have been on ‘The Voice’ the whole time. Why are you leaving him?” asked 14-year-old correspondent Shelton, who has been on the singing competition show with host Carson Daly since 2011.
“When I first started on this show, I think you were 1, and I felt like I just wanted to stay here long enough that I felt like you were old enough to make it on your own without my influence, ” Shelton jokingly replied.
The country superstar, who has been a part of the show since it premiered, is officially leaving his red chair after season 23. Shelton is the winningest coach, winning a total of nine times.
As for what it takes to be on Team Blake, the singer said, “A sense of humor, people who don’t take themselves too seriously seem to be the ones I connect with the best and the closest.”
“I think when you go on Team Blake, you have to be able to not take yourself so seriously,” he added.
Contestants must be 13 years old to be eligible to audition for “The Voice,” and since Daly had exceeded the required age limit, he asked Shelton what advice he could give him to try out. What he didn’t expect was a full-on criticism from Shelton.
“What I would say to you is that music is probably not going to be your path,” Shelton said. “I’ve heard you sing. Please, for your own self-respect, don’t expose yourself to that.”
Jokes aside, Shelton encourages kids Daly’s age to audition, because while the chances of getting on the show “are slim,” he said, “there’s no way to audition for this show — and especially get in the show — without learning a lot of things.”
“That’s what I love about it,” Shelton said. “Artists like me, who’ve been doing this for a million years, there’s just never really been an avenue to pass on all the things that I’ve learned over the years to younger people, and now I’m able to pass on some things, that I’ve learned along the way — especially mistakes that I’ve made along the way. So that’s probably been my favorite part of being a coach here. And the reason I would say, ‘Come and try, you know, give it a shot.’
The interview continued with Shelton showing off his famous red chair. He shared that it’s not the original one, which he’s had since 2011 and gets “a new model” every few years.
They ended the tour by showing Carson Daly’s secret room where he watches the shows and takes notes.
Before Shelton and Daly wrapped up their interview, the artist sweetly reassured the younger Daly, “I will still promise to be a big part of your life.”
While fans will be disappointed not to see Shelton turn his chair for contestants in the following seasons, they can still tune in to see if he picks up one last win in Season 23.
Alongside Shelton as coaches are Kelly Clarkson and newcomers Chance the Rapper and Niall Horan.