Season 23 & 25 coach Chance the Rapper returns to The Voice to mentor the Top 12
The Voice Season 24 advances to its live rounds next week, and the Top 12 will go on stage with a high-profile guest mentor. The series has confirmed that Chance the Rapper will return to the show in a mentoring capacity for Top 12 week.
A short video released by The Voice showed the current coach panel — John Legend, Reba McEntire, Gwen Stefani and Niall Horan — passing the spotlight to the celebrity mentor for this crucial week of live performances. Chance the Rapper, who previously coached on Season 23, appears in the clip announcing, “Surprise surprise! I’m back!” He is scheduled to return mid-season as a full coach for Season 25.
Chance’s return as mentor brings an experienced and creative presence to the live shows. Mentors typically work closely with contestants in the days before live performances, helping them select material, shape arrangements, refine staging and strengthen vocal delivery. For many artists, a mentor’s guidance during the Top 12 week can be decisive, helping them stand out in a crowded field and connect more deeply with viewers during live voting.
The Voice Top 12 episode will air on NBC on Monday, December 4 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT, with the results episode airing the following night. These live shows kick off a condensed run of remaining broadcasts where audience votes and performance strategy determine which artists move forward. Viewers can expect heightened stakes as coaches and mentors help contestants present their strongest possible performances.
Chance will serve a second season as coach
Chance the Rapper is set to return to the coaching panel for The Voice Season 25, joining Reba McEntire (returning for her second season), longtime coach John Legend and the country duo Dan + Shay. Season 25 will introduce a historic change to the coaching format: a “double chair,” with Dan + Shay coaching together as one unified team. The duo previously teamed with Blake Shelton as Battle Advisors in Season 20 and stepped in during Season 24 to assist with Knockouts rehearsals when a touring coach was unavailable.
Production for Season 25 wrapped months ago; the show finished taping in early October, with the final recording day featuring a Playoffs episode on October 4. Season 24 and Season 25 were taped largely at the same time, which allowed producers to prepare the midseason coaching return of Chance and plan the new double-chair structure. With taping complete, networks will now move toward airing the episodes and presenting the remaining live shows to audiences.
Season 25 is scheduled to premiere in late February, with premiere dates set for Monday, February 26 and Tuesday, February 27. As the lineup and format changes generate attention, fans will be watching to see how the double-chair dynamic affects coaching strategy and team development throughout the season.
The Voice 24 has three weeks of live shows coming up
Meanwhile, Season 24 still has three weeks of live programming to determine its champion. The Top 12 performances and results will trim the field to a Top 9, followed by successive live rounds that will narrow the contestants through Top 5 and ultimately to the final performances and winner announcement in mid-December. Recent seasons have tested different formats for live shows and eliminations; last spring’s cycle featured roughly 40 contestants and two intense weeks of live broadcasts that culminated in an Instant Save deciding semifinalists before the finale.
With Chance returning as a live mentor and a refreshed coaching lineup on the horizon for Season 25, the franchise is balancing the immediate drama of Season 24’s live shows with longer-term format experimentation. Fans can expect strong performances, strategic coach-and-mentor collaborations, and the usual mix of emotional moments and technical polish that define The Voice live episodes. The coming weeks will reveal which artists capitalize on that mentorship and advance toward the finals.