How Much Do Voice Coaches Make?
Have you ever wondered how much do the Voice coaches make and how much you can make as a voice coach? We will discuss in this post.
There have been over a dozen different coaches on The Voice since the show first aired in 2011. These coaches have ranged from country crooners like Blake Shelton to pop heartthrobs like Nick Jonas. Due to the fact that each judge (and contender) on The Voice is unique, the salaries of the coaches on the NBC show and the amount of money they make per season are not all the same. Shelton is the only coach on The Voice who has been there since the very first episode, thus it is reasonable to infer that he makes the highest money out of all of the coaches.
Table of contents
- Blake Shelton (From Season 1 to the Present)
- Adam Levine (From Season 1 until Season 16)
- Christina Aguilera (Seasons 1–3, 5–8, and 10)
- CeeLo Green (Seasons 1–3, 5)
- Shakira (Season 4, 6)
- Usher (Season 4, 6)
- Gwen Stefani: Seasons 7, 9, 12, 17 and 19
- Pharrell Williams (Season 7 through Season 10)
- Miley Cyrus (Season 11, 13)
- Alicia Keys (Season 11–12, and Season 14’s)
- Jennifer Hudson (Season 13, 15)
- Kelly Clarkson (14th season on the show)
- John Legend (Season 16 – Present)
- Nick Jonas (Season 18, Season 20)
- Ariana Grande (Season 21)
- How much can I earn working as a voice coach?


Despite this, it is not accurate to state that the other coaches only make a few dollars a year. From Alicia Keys to Adam Levine, everyone of the judges on The Voice have a distinguished body of work behind them. Even though The Voice has not been successful in creating any household stars (like American Idol has), the show has been rather successful in recruiting top-tier talent to serve as its coaches.
Find out how much each coach on The Voice made throughout their season, as well as their respective salaries, below!
Blake Shelton (From Season 1 to the Present)
Paychecks of $13 million for each season


During his first season on The Voice, it is unknown how much money Shelton earned; however, in the year 2016, around the same time as The Voice season 10 show, The Wrap magazine reported that Shelton inked a deal with NBC to get $13 million per season. It is unknown how much money Shelton made during his first season on The Voice.
As a result of the fact that each year there are two seasons of The Voice, Shelton brings in a remarkable $26 million, and it’s possible that this number is much higher now that he’s agreed to a new contract since 2016. According to an article published in 2019 by Celebrity Insider, Shelton and his girlfriend, Gwen Stefan, were awarded “an amazing incentive to keep the flame alive on-camera.” The same source mentioned that as a result of the raise, Shelton and Stefani’s wages are now “considerably greater” than those of the other coaches.
Adam Levine (From Season 1 until Season 16)
The annual salary is 14 million dollars.
Levine was one of the original voice coaches of The Voice, much like Shelton was. It was claimed in 2016 by The Wrap that he had signed the same agreement as Shelton to receive $13 million every season, which is equivalent to $26 million per year. He departed the show after the sixteenth season. However, after Levine left The Voice, The Hollywood Reporter stated that his income was significantly greater at over $14 million every season and near to $30 million annually. This information was revealed after Levine left the show.
Christina Aguilera (Seasons 1–3, 5–8, and 10)
Depending on the season, salaries range from $12.5 million to $17 million.
According to a story from The Wrap in 2014, Aguilera made $17 million per season as a coach on The Voice during season 3. (much more than Levine and Shelton). According to The Wrap, the singer of “Genie in a Bottle” decided to leave the show after that season but came back for season 5, during which she took a wage cut. According to The Wrap, she made an average of $12.5 million per season beginning with that season and continuing ahead.
CeeLo Green (Seasons 1–3, 5)
Depending on the season, salaries range from $2 million to $6.5 million.


On the original season of “The Voice,” CeeLo served as a coach. He departed the show after the fifth season, citing the fact that it “soon became a job” for him. It was stated by Money Nation that the singer made $2 million for his first season on the show, which makes sense given that he was not as well-known as the other coaches. CeeLo was able to secure a wage increase before he departed his position, which brought the total amount of his annual payments to $6.5 million.
Shakira (Season 4, 6)
The annual salary is 12 million dollars.
Even though Shakira was never crowned the champion of a season of The Voice, that doesn’t mean she didn’t walk away with a substantial payday at the end of the show. It was reported in 2012 by The Hollywood Reporter that Shakira had signed a contract for $12 million per season, which at the time was a significant amount of money for any voice coach on the early seasons of The Voice. It is unknown whether or not she was given a pay boost when she returned for the sixth season, but if she had, it is likely that she would have made approximately the same amount of money as Adam Levine and Blake Shelton.
Usher (Season 4, 6)
The annual salary is 7 million dollars.
Shakira and Usher both starred on the same two seasons of the show, however Usher made just around half of what Shakira did. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the “Yeah” singer made $7 million per season when he joined the show in season 4. It is unknown how much he was compensated for his comeback to The Voice in season 6, but it is safe to assume that it was not even quite comparable to the pay of any of the other coaches.
Gwen Stefani: Seasons 7, 9, 12, 17 and 19
Paychecks of $13 million for each season
According to CinemaBlend, Gwen Stefani was paid $10 million every season while she was a coach on The Voice during season 7. Stefani joined the show during season 7. However, the vocalist for No Doubt was given a pay increase of $5 in season 12 when she and Shelton signed a contract to play up their affection for the cameras. This brought her total payment for the show up to $13 million per season. If Stefani and Shelton were paid $15 million each to return as coaches on The Voice, it’s likely that they’ll earn close to the $15 million mark as a result of that. Stefani’s contract with The Voice expires after the upcoming season.
Pharrell Williams (Season 7 through Season 10)
The annual salary is 8 million dollars.
According to a source by Feel Guide in 2014, Pharrell negotiated a contract for $8 million per season when he made his debut as a coach on The Voice in season 7. It is not known whether he received a pay raise for his subsequent seasons, but given his lower income when he started, it is unlikely that his pay would have matched that of Shelton or Levine. If he had received a pay bump, it is unknown whether he would have earned a pay bump for his later seasons.
Miley Cyrus (Season 11, 13)
Paychecks of $13 million for each season
During seasons 11 and 13, Cyrus served as a coach on The Voice. According to Money Nation, the singer known as “Malibu” made $13 million for each of the show’s two seasons, which is a little less than what original contestants Adam Levine and Blake Shelton made.
Alicia Keys (Season 11–12, and Season 14’s)
The annual salary is 8 million dollars.
According to an article written and published by Money Nation in 2016, Keys made $8 million every season after becoming a coach on The Voice beginning with season 11. Although the sum is significantly lower than what Levine and Shelton made during that time period, it is comparable to the compensation received by other non-OG voice coaches such as Pharrell and Usher.
Jennifer Hudson (Season 13, 15)
Salary: TBD
There have been no reports about Hudson’s performance on The Voice. The fact that she previously won an Academy Award and is a legitimate pop icon, however, makes it highly plausible that she made somewhere in the neighborhood of ten million dollars for her two great seasons on the NBC singing competition. On the bottom end of the payscale, we don’t expect Hudson to have earned less than some of the originals like Levine and Shelton. Given the salaries of her predecessors, it is unlikely that she made more.
Kelly Clarkson (14th season on the show)
The annual salary is 15 million dollars.
When Kelly Clarkson made her first appearance as a coach on The Voice in season 14, Radar Online stated that the former American Idol champion had signed a contract to receive $15 million every season, which is equivalent to $28 million per year. It is unknown whether or not the singer of “Since You’ve Been Gone” has been awarded a pay increase since then (she has won three seasons of The Voice), but if she has, her salary is likely to be the highest of any coach on The Voice.
John Legend (Season 16 – Present)
Paychecks of $13 million for each season


In addition, it is not known how much money Legend makes serving as a coach on The Voice. He became a coach during the 16th season after initially being hired for the 18th season. The fact that he is the first person to win all four categories of the EGOT competition and to serve as a coach on The Voice must bring him some sort of recognition, given that he already possesses an absurdly large number of Grammys. OK! magazine claims that he made $13 million for each season that he worked as a judge.
Nick Jonas (Season 18, Season 20)
Salary: TBD


Due to the fact that Season 18 was Jonas’s first season as a coach on The Voice, there is very little information regarding the amount of money he was paid for the role. Because he is one of the younger singers to star on The Voice, it is possible for him to earn a salary comparable to Cyrus’s, which is $13 million, although this is quite improbable. He no doubt brings in somewhere between $8 and $10 million annually.
Ariana Grande (Season 21)
Pay ranges between $20 and $25 million each campaign.


In a post to her Instagram account in March of 2021, Grande revealed that she will participate as a judge on the upcoming season 21 of The Voice. “surprise !!! I am absolutely pleased, humbled, and excited to be joining @kellyclarkson @johnlegend @blakeshelton on @nbcthevoice for the next season, season 21! @nickjonas She mentioned in her note at the time that “we will miss you.” OK magazine reports that she would receive between $20 and $25 million in compensation for the season, making her the most highly compensated judge in the history of The Voice. “Ariana is receiving in the region of $20 to $25 million to join the show,” a source told OK!, comparing the agreement to Kelly Clarkson, who “negotiated a staggering $15 million when she joined the program.” “Ariana is getting in the range of $20 to $25 million to join the show,” the source added.
How much can I earn working as a voice coach?
The typical income for a voice coach in the United States is $39,938. The highest salaries in Los Angeles are for voice coaches, which average $39,938 per year, which is the same as the national average for total income. There is a wide range of wages available for voice coaches in the United States, starting at $19,050 and going all the way up to $73,610, with a median compensation of $36,680. The top 75 percent of Voice Coaches receive an average annual salary of $73,610, while the bottom 50 percent make only $36,680.