Why Niall Horan Said “Blake Shelton Won’t Be Happy” About *This* on The Voice

Young Niall Horan Poses with His "Hero" Michael Bublé at an Airport in Unearthed Photo

The Coach banter on The Voice Season 28 is top-notch!

The Voice Season 28 already has some top-notch banter!

On the very first episode of the new season, Coach Michael Bublé said something to fellow Coach Niall Horan that may have risked the wrath of a famous Voice alum.

Bublé and Horan actually go back years, having met at an airport in 2012. But when Horan and Blake Shelton overlapped as Coaches on The Voice in 2023, Shelton affectionately called the Irish singer his “son,” a gentle joke about their age difference. With Shelton now gone from the show, Bublé made the same joke while chatting with an Artist, casually saying, “my son, Niall.” Did he realize what he’d done?

“Blake Shelton won’t be happy about this,” Horan worried backstage.

“I was [Shelton’s] son for a year,” he added, referring to their season together: Season 23.

“I don’t wanna live in Oklahoma anymore,” Horan deadpanned, alluding to the ranch where Shelton lives with wife Gwen Stefani.

Ultimately, though, Horan’s decided to stay loyal: “I’m Blake’s son. I always will be,” he said.

Niall Horan and Blake Shelton’s bond is so sweet

Niall Horan and Blake Shelton cheers.

Niall Horan and Blake Shelton appear on The Voice, Season 23 Episode 7- The Battles Premiere.

Photo: Trae Patton/NBC

In real life, Horan has a dad back home, but around The Voice set, Shelton was very much a father figure and a friend.

“Blake, he’s like a dad to me. Y’know, he’s really helped me during the show. I’ve really enjoyed his company, and watching him has been a real honor,” Horan told NBC Insider in March 2023. “Me and the cowboy became good friends very quick. We realized we’re very similar people. For the good and the bad. He’s so funny—from the minute we met him.”

The feeling is mutual. During Season 23, Shelton mentioned to the producers, “I feel like Niall is going to take my seat on the show…I’m passing the baton on to my son.”

In a behind-the-scenes video from their season together, they even joked that they might be long-lost family. “We just found each other after 29 years,” Shelton quips. Adds Horan, “No offense to my dad. To the point where I’m thinking about firing my own dad.” With his real dad and his Voice dad, is there any room for Bublé? Can Bublé at least join Horan and Eric Stonestreet for their next a cappella singalong?