Adam Levine Slams Randy Jackson Over ‘Irresponsible’ Comment (Video)
Ava Bailey Never shy about speaking his mind, The Voice coach Adam Levine is firing back at American Idol’s Randy Jackson.
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Levine appears alongside fellow coaches Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton on Friday’s episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, in which the trio simultaneously promotes and defends their NBC series, while slamming their rival.
Idol judge Jackson previously referred to The Voice as a second place competition — claiming that contestants who can’t hang on Idol or X Factor will turn to The Voice for a second shot at fame.
“Shame on Randy Jackson for saying that,” Levine snaps. “Because he, out of anybody, should know that if you’re in this business you need second, third, fourth and fifth chances. So we love and embrace that being part of the show.”
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Season 1 of The Voice featured Idol castoff Frenchie Davis, former child actress Raquel Castro (Jersey Girl), third-place finisher Beverley McClellan, who previously recorded several independent albums, and Nakia, who enjoyed a moderately successful musical career in Austin, Texas before joining the show. The show’s inaugural winner, Javier Colon, had been signed and dropped by Capitol Records prior to auditioning for the show. Jackson’s comments understandably struck a nerve with Levine, who mentored Colon on his team throughout the competition.
“You know, God bless Randy,” Levine continues. “He was a working musician for a long time and had a lot of success, and then the show Idol kind of blew him out of the water. And he is a household name now. It was an irresponsible thing to say that.”
Watch the clip below. Missing from the guest appearance is coach Cee Lo Green, who can be seen when the series returns for its sophomore season on Monday, Feb. 6 on NBC.
