Dan + Shay Replace Niall Horan During ‘The Voice’ Knockout Rehearsals

When Niall Horan had to miss time on The Voice, he knew just who to call to stand in for him!

“Because of my concert schedule, I actually won’t be in town for Knockout Rehearsals,” Niall told his team over video chat on Tuesday’s all-new episode of the NBC singing competition. “Because I won’t be there, I’ve chosen another coach to come in and mentor you guys during rehearsals. And it’s not just one coach, it’s two!”

From behind two Niall masks, the substitute coaches were revealed to be… country superstars Dan + Shay!

The pair is set to make their official coaching debut in The Voice‘s first-ever double chair next season, so Niall said he figured this was a good head start.

“I know you’re coming on here for season 25, so it’s good practice for you guys!” he told the duo over the phone. “I’ll send you all the info on the team… so you can get to know everything before you rock up here.”

But before he and Shay Mooney stepped in, Dan Smyers had to ask the important question: 

“If your team wins, do we get to count that on our Wikipedia page as a win?” he joked.

For season 25, the country duo will be joining Reba McEntire — who joined season 24 as a first-time coach, stepping in for Voice veteran Blake Shelton — as well as returning coaches John Legend and Chance the Rapper.

Thankfully Dan + Shay have a little extra experience on The Voice, having served as Team Blake’s Battle Round Advisors in season 20 back in 2021.

The duo took to the The Voice‘s social media accounts earlier this year to share their excitement for the upcoming gig, and answer some questions about how the brand new double chair will work.

“We have never been more excited for anything in our entire lives,” Dan raved in the clip.

“People have been asking, is it two chairs? Is it one?” Shay shared. “It’s two chairs…but one button!”

The Voice airs Mondays at 8 p.m. PT/ET and Tuesdays at 9 p.m. PT/ET on NBC.

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