‘The Voice’: 5 Moments That Prove Niall Horan and Blake Shelton Have the Best Unexpected Friendship

Sorry, Adam Levine, it seems Blake Shelton has found a new bestie on The Voice. The cowboy quickly became close with former One Direction member Niall Horan when they started working together on season 23. Rather than a bromance, though, Niall and Blake have a father-son dynamic that is hilarious, adorable, and completely unexpected. Here are some of Niall Horan and Blake Shelton’s best moments on The Voice so far.

When Niall Horan shared how he and Blake Shelton became friends

Fans first saw Niall and Blake’s fast friendship during the Blind Auditions. According to Niall, though, he and Blake bonded off-camera before auditions began. He gushed about his first time meeting Blake in an interview with NBC Insider.

“All the coaches kind of got together the night before the first-ever audition,” Niall said. “And, you know, we had some food and a couple of drinks. And that was the moment to our initiation. Just from that minute, from that first minute, I was like, ‘Man, he’s my guy.’ We just had a laugh. [Blake’s] always annoying everyone. And I appreciate it so much.” 

Niall added that he and Blake are “very similar people.” This might come as a surprise considering Blake is a country singer from Oklahoma and Niall is a pop star from Ireland. Still, Niall said they have a lot in common — “for the good and the bad.”

When Blake and Niall wore matching outfits on ‘The Voice’

Fellow coaches Kelly Clarkson and Chance the Rapper have loved watching Niall and Blake bond. Chance even said he thought the two were starting to look alike. So, Niall decided to take it to the next level by putting on a matching outfit with Blake. He walked out on stage rocking Blake’s signature jeans, gray button-down, black jacket, and brown shoes.

“I’ve been so proud to be your son this week,” Niall said in an outtakes video, as seen above. “I was looking for a change in fashion anyway.”

“Looking good, son, looking good,” Blake joked. “That’s my boy right there.”

When Blake Shelton called Niall Horan his ‘son’

Many times, Blake referred to Niall as his “son” on The Voice. He has even told Niall he’s “d*** proud of him” and that Niall disappoints him sometimes. He insists that he’s giving Niall “tough love” so that he can pass the torch to his pseudo-son someday.

In a tweet, Blake wrote that he knew Niall was “meant to be” his son when he started laughing at all of Blake’s jokes. Someone has to, right?

When Niall gave Blake a ‘world’s best dad’ gift

Likewise, Niall saw Blake as a father figure and often called him “dad” on The Voice. In an interview with NBC Insider, Niall said Blake mentored him through his first time in a coach’s chair. He thanked Blake by handing him a “world’s best dad” mug, as seen in the video above.

“I can see exactly why the people of America have fallen in love with this man,” Niall said of Blake in the clip. “He’s like a new dad to me. No offense to my dad.”

When Niall Horan did his Blake Shelton impression

After spending some time together, Niall mastered Blake’s country twang. He often ditched his Irish accent on set to mimic Blake telling contestants to join his last team on The Voice. We have to say, Niall’s impression is spot on and a hilarious ode to his TV dad. Imitation is the highest form of flattery, after all.

Blake is stepping away from The Voice after this season, but we think Niall will be visiting him and Gwen Stefani at their Oklahoma ranch in the future.

What other shenanigans will Niall Horan and Blake Shelton get into on The Voice this season? Find out when The Voice Season 23 airs new episodes on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET and Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC. Next-day streaming is also available on Peacock.