“The Voice” is preparing to enter unfamiliar territory with its first celebrity-focused edition, but production has reportedly already encountered an unexpected problem. Singer and social-media star Bella Poarch is said to have withdrawn from the competition after successfully completing the Blind Auditions.
Poarch, 29, had reportedly been selected as one of the famous contestants for the upcoming celebrity edition. Unlike the traditional version of “The Voice,” the new season will feature recognizable personalities competing instead of undiscovered singers trying to launch their careers.
According to a recent report, Poarch made it through her Blind Audition and secured a place on one of the Coaches’ teams. However, only days before filming of the Battle Rounds was scheduled to begin, she reportedly left the competition.
Her departure created an immediate production challenge. Because the contestants had already been divided among the Coaches, losing one singer at that stage meant producers reportedly had to reorganize parts of the competition before filming could continue.
Exactly why Poarch withdrew remains unclear. No official explanation for her departure has been made public, so reports describing the situation have stopped short of identifying a specific personal, professional or production-related reason.
Poarch originally became one of TikTok’s biggest stars after a lip-sync video exploded in popularity in 2020. Her enormous social-media following eventually helped her move into the music industry and establish herself as a recording artist.
She signed with Warner Records and released “Build a B***h” in 2021. The song became a major streaming success, and she subsequently released additional music, collaborated with other artists and performed live.
Her reported appearance on “The Voice Celebrity” would therefore have been particularly interesting. Although Poarch is already famous and has an established music career, the competition could have allowed audiences to see another side of her abilities as a live vocalist.
The celebrity edition itself represents one of the largest experiments in the history of “The Voice.” Instead of unknown Artists competing for a traditional career opportunity, famous contestants from entertainment, sports, social media and other fields are expected to compete for charity and bragging rights.
The format will also differ significantly from the regular show. The celebrity season is expected to be completely prerecorded, meaning it will not feature the traditional public voting or Live Shows that viewers will see during Season 30.
Another major change involves the host. Keke Palmer is set to host the celebrity edition instead of longtime “Voice” host Carson Daly. Daly remains the host of Season 30, so Palmer’s arrival is specifically connected to the special celebrity format.
For now, the biggest unanswered question is how production ultimately handled Poarch’s reported withdrawal and whether another celebrity was brought in to replace her. With the celebrity edition expected to air in 2027, viewers will have to wait to see the final lineup—and whether any evidence of this unexpected behind-the-scenes shake-up makes it into the finished season.
