Joe Walsh Joins 'The Voice' Season 28 as Mega-Mentor for Knockout Rounds

Rock legend Joe Walsh didn’t just show up for a cameo—he brought the whole damn garage band with him. The former Eagles guitarist and James Gang icon joined NBC’s The Voice Season 28 as a mega-mentor for the Knockout Rounds, which kicked off Monday, October 27, 2025, at 8:00 PM ET/PT. And this wasn’t a photo op. Walsh didn’t just offer advice—he jammed. On stage. With a fan-turned-coach. And it was electric.

When Legends Step Into the Arena

For decades, Joe Walsh has been the guy who made guitar solos feel like confessions. Now, at 77, he’s trading his stage lights for coaching chairs. Alongside country superstar Zac Brown, Walsh was brought in to elevate the Knockout Rounds—the high-stakes phase where coaches must cut their teams of eight down to just four winners, with no steals, no saves, no second chances. It’s brutal. And it needed someone who’s seen the inside of every kind of pressure cooker.

Walsh mentored contestants on teams led by Niall Horan and Reba McEntire. Brown, meanwhile, worked with Michael Bublé’s and Snoop Dogg’s artists. The pairing wasn’t random. Niall Horan, the Irish pop heartthrob once half of One Direction, openly called Walsh his hero. "We’re here for the knockouts," Horan said during the October 28 episode. "And my mega mentor this time is one of my heroes, the one and only, Mr. Joe Walsh. We’re very, very happy to have him. It’s an honor for me."

Walsh didn’t just nod politely. He leaned in. "I was excited," he replied. "I watch The Voice. I’m a fan. I never thought I’d get a chance to be part of it, but I tell you, he’s really good at it. He’s a really good coach."

The Jam That Made Everyone Stop Breathing

The moment that went viral wasn’t a critique or a pep talk. It was a live performance.

On that same October 28 episode, Horan and Walsh picked up their guitars and launched into the James Gang’s 1970 classic, "Funk #49." No rehearsal. No safety net. Just two generations of rock, one riff at a time. Horan later told Reality Rocks it was "one of the best days of my life." Fans flooded social media with clips—some crying, others air-guitaring in their living rooms. For a show built on vocal power, it was the guitar that stole the night.

Walsh returned on November 4, 2025, to guide Reba McEntire’s team, offering blunt, no-nonsense feedback rooted in decades of touring and recording. "You don’t sing to be liked," he told one contestant. "You sing because you can’t not sing. And if you’re not feeling that, then get off the stage."

The Mic Drop Revolution

Season 28 introduced the first-ever "Mic Drop" button—a single, one-time power each coach could use to designate an artist as their most electrifying Knockout performer. The four recipients—each chosen by their coach—were put to a public vote. The winner, announced after the final Knockout episode on November 18, 2025, earned a live slot at the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California on January 1, 2026.

No steals. No saves. No mercy. This season stripped away the safety nets that once made The Voice feel like a talent show with a soft landing. Now, it’s a gauntlet. And the stakes? A shot at one of America’s most iconic televised events.

Why Mondays Only? The Basketball Effect

The schedule was unusual. All Knockout episodes aired exclusively on Monday nights—from October 27 through November 18. Why? Because NBC’s Tuesday lineup was overtaken by NBA basketball games. As Reality Rocks’ Lyndsey Parker noted, the network had no choice. What could’ve been a disaster became a surprise advantage: viewers tuned in for one night a week, building anticipation like a weekly sermon.

It also meant Walsh’s appearances were tightly spaced—October 28 and November 4—giving each mentorship moment weight, not clutter. No filler. Just pure, uncut rock and country wisdom.

Behind the Scenes: The Real Legacy

This wasn’t Walsh’s first TV rodeo. He once lost on Rock & Roll Jeopardy! to Mark McGrath. He’s played with everyone from Ringo Starr to Stevie Nicks. He’s been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice—once with the James Gang, once with the Eagles. But mentoring on The Voice? That was different.

It wasn’t about nostalgia. It was about legacy. He saw young artists pouring their souls into songs they barely understood—and he gave them the map. He didn’t tell them to sound like him. He told them to sound like themselves. And that’s the mark of a true mentor.

Meanwhile, Zac Brown brought his own brand of Southern soul to the table, helping Bublé’s pop crooners and Snoop Dogg’s hip-hop hopefuls find common ground. The result? A season that felt less like a competition and more like a passing of the torch.

And as for the contestants? They didn’t just survive the Knockouts. They got to stand beside a man who helped define rock’s gritty, glorious heart—and then, for one night, played with him.