Reba McEntire seems to be a hit with viewers and a worthy addition to The Voice. However, rumors are swirling that the show is looking to cut down on costs. What does this mean for McEntire's chances of returning next season?
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First off, we should approach rumors with a certain amount of hesitancy. Still, there's an old saying "Where there is smoke, there is fire." An inside source close to the show told The U.S. Sun that the network is "tightening spending." However, it is not looking to tank the show with a shoestring budget, but it does want to shave down on costs.
In particular, they're targeting the "talent budget" for the show. "There is a substantial trimming of costs and ways of looking at not increasing spending," the anonymous insider said. "You can trim the budgets here and there but the reality is that the biggest fees come from the judges' pay...Losing a couple of staff members saves you hundreds of thousands of dollars, but bringing in a freeze on pay raises and lesser deals for talent is a way to trim millions."
So what does that mean for McEntire? Well, the singer reportedly has one of the higher salaries on the show. The insider said that she is getting around $13 million a season. Past judges like Niall Horan made around $8 million for instance. However, Adam Levine made around $14.5 million. The network is reportedly firm on not increasing the salary for future seasons. So, it won't be offering McEntire a raise.
Will Reba McEntire Return for a Future Season?
"It's understood there is no room for that figure to rise, so very quietly behind the scenes private talks are taking place with agents and talent about those deals," the insider said. "There are a few household names that would happily take a $8 million payday, which is the lower end of the earnings for stars."
If McEntire is happy with her current salary, then she'd likely stay for future seasons. However, pay disputes can quickly get messy behind the scenes so who knows? Of course, McEntire may take a break from the show for an entirely different reason as coaches on the show often do.
So far, the musician seems to be enjoying her time on the show. She recently shut down rumors that she was leaving the show.
"Please do not click on any articles that say I am leaving The Voice. This is not true," the singer shared the same note on X. "These are fake websites to lure people in with clickbait where they claim I have a company to sell weight loss gummy products," she cautioned. "This is false. I do not sell or promote any type of gummy product. Please report these posts if you see them on Facebook or Instagram."
