The Voice 28: Joe Walsh and Zac Brown Set at Knockouts Mega Mentors
Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and multi‑Grammy winner Joe Walsh and multi‑Grammy‑winning artist Zac Brown will join season 28 of the musical competition series The Voice as mega mentors for the Knockouts. The show airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and streams next day on Peacock. Both Walsh and Brown bring decades of experience and industry insight to guide contestants through one of the most pivotal rounds of the season.
Zac Brown, frontman of the Zac Brown Band, makes his debut on The Voice this season, joining coaches Michael Bublé and Snoop Dogg as a guest mentor. Joe Walsh, known for career‑spanning hits and his work with the Eagles, will mentor alongside coaches Niall Horan and Reba McEntire. The pair will work with the remaining artists as they prepare for the Knockouts, which begin Monday, Oct. 27.
The Knockouts are one of the most intense stages of The Voice. Each coach advances to the Knockouts with eight artists on their team, and unlike earlier rounds there are no saves or steals available. This means every choice is consequential: coaches alone select the single artist from their team who will move forward to the Playoffs, the round that precedes the Live Shows. With that high stake, mentors play a crucial role in helping contestants refine song choice, arrangement, and performance technique to give themselves the best chance to advance.
Knockouts Boast first ever “Mic Drop” Feature
Season 28 introduces the first‑ever “Mic Drop” button, a new element intended to spotlight standout performances during the Knockouts. Each coach will have one Mic Drop to award to an artist from their own team whose performance truly blows them away. Viewers at home will then have the opportunity to vote among the four Mic Drop recipients. The artist who earns the most viewer votes will be granted a special performance slot at The Rose Parade Presented by Honda, live on Jan. 1, 2026—a rare and high‑profile opportunity that can boost visibility as contestants move deeper into the competition.
As mega mentors, Joe Walsh and Zac Brown will lend their musical perspective to help artists shape compelling performances for this new high‑stakes twist. Their guidance can range from vocal technique and phrasing to arrangement choices and stage presence, all of which are essential in a round where only one artist per team advances. Mentors with extensive touring and recording experience can also advise contestants on how to translate studio recordings into memorable live renditions.
Zac Brown leads the multi‑platinum Zac Brown Band, a Southern rock and country group with a long track record of commercial success. Over more than a decade, the band has produced multiple top‑10 albums on the Billboard 200 and achieved consecutive #1 debuts on Billboard’s Country Albums chart. Their accolades include multiple Grammy Awards and numerous chart‑topping radio singles. Zac Brown brings experience as a bandleader, songwriter, and frontman—skills especially valuable to artists navigating live performance dynamics and collaborative arrangements.
Joe Walsh brings more than five decades of experience as a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer. His career began with the James Gang, continued through Barnstorm, and expanded significantly when he joined the Eagles in the mid‑1970s, adding a harder rock edge to the band’s sound. Walsh has released a long catalog of solo work and has been recognized for his influence on rock music. As a member of the Eagles, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the band’s ongoing farewell tour underscores his continued relevance as a performer and mentor.
Together, Walsh and Brown add a mix of rock, country, and veteran stagecraft to The Voice’s mentorship lineup. Their combined backgrounds—covering songwriting, arranging, band leadership, and decades onstage—give contestants access to practical advice for building persuasive, memorable Knockout performances. With the new Mic Drop feature and the pressure of no saves or steals, this season’s Knockouts promise high drama, strategic decision‑making, and moments of artistic growth shaped in part by two acclaimed musicians lending their expertise.