“The Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon made a surprise appearance on NBC’s “The Voice” this week to send off outgoing coach Blake Shelton with some musical fun.
The “Saturday Night Live” alum, who is a talented impressionist, was promoted by host Carson Daly for Tuesday’s segment. He took the stage to perform a cover of Michael McDonald’s 1982 song “I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near)” for Shelton and fellow coaches Kelly Clarkson, Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper during the blind auditions for singing competition. As Fallon performed, Clarkson, Horan, and Chance all rang their buzzers to swivel their chairs in approval, only to realize that the late-night host was fooling them.
But Shelton didn’t give up that easily, patiently listening to Fallon’s audition with skepticism. When Fallon realized the country star wasn’t humoring her, she walked over to Shelton’s chair and rang the bell for him.
“You can’t do that,” Shelton said and laughed. “You broke the rules.”
“I had to,” Fallon responded. “Hello everyone! I love you! I was across the parking lot doing our show, ‘That’s My Jam,’ and I texted Carson. I said, ‘I’ve got to come over and say hi, man.’ Twenty three seasons. Congratulations. You are a legend.
The longest-serving coach on the Emmy-winning show, Shelton will, in fact, be leaving the show after a 12-year stint to hopefully do “a little bit of nothing.” The Grammy-nominated country star has been a fixture on the show since her debut in 2011 and announced her departure from “The Voice” in October 2022.
As for Fallon’s stunt, Shelton, 46, said he knew what was going on and there was no way he was pushing the button for the act. Meanwhile, Clarkson said that she became the first, so Fallon had to be on his team.
“It didn’t take me long to realize it was Jimmy Fallon, and there was no way I was going to know. He doesn’t deserve a chair turn on this show,” Shelton said in testimony. “Impersonating Jimmy is the equivalent of walking up to Michael McDonald and slapping him as hard as you can.”
