How Much Do ‘The Voice’ Coaches Get Paid?

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Season 20 of The Voice premieres in February 2021, and fans may be wondering how much the returning coaches get paid for their time in the big red chairs.

Coaches Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, and Nick Jonas all return to the coaching chairs for season 20 alongside host Carson Daly. Each of the coaches has a different salary, according to Talent Recap. They’re paid according to how long they’ve been on the show, and the salaries are negotiated before any filming starts.

According to Radar Online, the celebrity coaches are often paid bonuses as well. Shelton and Gwen Stefani were reportedly offered bonuses for showing affection on set.

Blake Shelton Reportedly Makes $13 Million a Season

According to Talent Recap, Shelton brings home a total of $13 million per season for coaching on the show.

Shelton is the winningest coach in The Voice history; he’s won the championship six times throughout his tenure on the show. Depending on how many seasons air in a year, Shelton can bring in up to $26 million a year on that salary.

While $13 million is a lot of money, Shelton is not the highest-paid coach on the show, according to Talent Recap and Style Caster. 

Kelly Clarkson Earns $14 Million Per Season Per Reports

According to Style Caster, Clarkson actually makes more on the show than Shelton does, though she hasn’t been in the coaching chair for as many seasons.

Clarkson reportedly makes around $14 million a season, which would mean she could make $28 million a year. Variety reports that Clarkson makes closer to $15 million a season, which would mean $2 million more a year.

Clarkson’s salary apparently is so much more than the other coaches because the producers wanted to get the American Idol winner on their talent show and were willing to pay more than they would have for someone else.

Nick Jonas & John Legend Make Around $13 Million

According to The Blast and Style Caster, both John Legend and Nick Jonas earn around $13 to $14 million a season, though those numbers were both from the 2019 season of the show. Both stars would take home $26 to $28 million a year if they were on two seasons of the show.

The winner of The Voice takes home the V trophy and a $100,000 cash prize, according to Taste of Country. The winner also gets a recording contract with a recording company. In 2020, that was a contract with Universal Music Group, but it was previously Big Machine Label Group.

When it comes to how much American Idol judges get paid in comparison with The Voice, it’s not always clear but reports say Katy Perry earns $25 million.

Luke Bryan once joked to Taste of Country, “I always like to find out what Blake [Shelton] is making on The Voice and just do $1 more than him.”

He’s also joked that he was asking for $180 million from Idol, which was a sizeable amount more than what even Simon Cowell was making at the height of his time on the show, according to Taste of Country.

Bryan once joked to Taste of Country, “I always like to find out what Blake [Shelton] is making on The Voice and just do $1 more than him.”

He’s also joked that he was asking for $180 million from Idol, which was a sizeable amount more than what even Simon Cowell was making at the height of his time on the show, according to Taste of Country.

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