When Niall Horan joined The Voice last season for Blake Shelton’s final appearance, the two struck up an unexpectedly sweet bond. It seemed more familial than friendly, actually, and many jokes were made about the cowboy adopting the Irish boybander as his son. Shelton may be gone now, but his wife Gwen Stefani came back for Season 24, and after the exchange that occurred during the Playoffs on November 27, I now have “no doubt” that Horan really has become part of their family.
All season long Niall Horan has been referring to Gwen Stefani as “Gwennie,” which is actually really adorable because 1) it’s a cute nickname, and 2) it’s fun to see the One Direction alum bond with Stefani after he got so close to Blake Shelton in Season 23. But on this night — the second night of Playoffs — Carson Daly decided to ask him about the moniker, after Horan complimented one of “Gwennie’s” team members, and they had this exchange:
- Carson Daly: Does anybody else call you Gwennie?
- Gwen Stefani: A lot of my family, so it’s interesting that Mr. Irish over here…
- Niall Horan: I AM in the family.
- John Legend: You’re her stepson.
- Gwen Stefani: Oh yeah, my stepson.
That, to me, seems like proof that Niall Horan has joined the Blake Shelton-Gwen Stefani household: Only her family refers to her as “Gwennie,” which is precisely the nickname that Horan has been calling her on the show.
All kidding aside, it is cool to see how friendly the two have gotten, since this is their first time working together. Gwen Stefani was not part of The Voice coaching panel in Season 23, which — along with Blake Shelton and Niall Horan — featured Kelly Clarkson and Chance the Rapper. Horan said from Day 1 he felt like he and Shelton were “pretty much the same person,” and the cowboy said as the winningest coach, he had hopes of passing the torch to Horan.
Niall Horan and Blake Shelton continued to have heartwarming exchanges throughout the season, calling each other “Dad” and “Son,” and the current coach said he felt like it was “fate” that he and Shelton met, since the two “got on like a house on fire.” He also revealed that they had hung out outside of the show, talking about meeting up for a drink. It doesn’t seem, however, like he’s made it out to Oklahoma yet, though Gwen Stefani did extend the invitation to Horan earlier on this season of The Voice, so hopefully if that happens, they’ll document the family reunion!
As for the Season 24 Playoffs, Niall Horan got to be a spectator for Monday’s show, as Gwen Stefani and Reba McEntire cut their teams in half, sending three to the live episodes and sending the other three home (one of McEntire’s team members left the show for personal reasons). The “Heaven” singer made his cuts last week, but many fans didn’t agree with his decision, saying they thought Horan had sent home the artist who would have won the whole show.
When The Voice returns on Tuesday, it’ll be John Legend’s turn to make his own tough choices and advance three artists to complete the Season 24 Top 12 as we head into the live shows. Tune in for that at 9 p.m. ET Tuesday on NBC. Episodes are also available to stream the next day with a Peacock subscription.
