Spoiler alert! This story reveals the winner of The Voice’s 28th season, which was announced December 16 on the live finale. The episode is available to stream with a Peacock subscription if you haven’t watched it yet.
That’s a wrap! The Voice Season 28 is in the books following a musical finale that occupied a three-hour block on the 2025 TV schedule before naming its latest champion. I can only imagine how nerve-wracking it was for the six finalists as they waited for the final seconds of the broadcast to hear Carson Daly announce the winner, and I’ve always wondered if the coaches get tipped off earlier in the day. Thanks to Michael Bublé, we now have that answer.
First things first, though. The Voice’s festive Holiday Spectacular kicked off with a preshow hosted by Ariana Madix and Dylan Efron that recapped Monday’s episode. That was followed by two hours of special performances from artists including XG, Zac Brown, Noah Cyrus, Neal Schon and Journey. At the end of it all, Carson Daly announced that America had voted Aiden Ross of Niall Horan’s team as the Season 28 champion.
The 20-year-old Texas resident was who I thought should win The Voice, based on his finale performances (and his entire season of work, honestly).
Aiden Ross’ victory means a third-straight win for Niall Horan, who remains undefeated on the show (he previously won Seasons 23 and 24 with Gina Miles and Huntley, respectively). Here’s where all six finalists finished:
- Winner: Aiden Ross (Team Niall)
- Second place: Ralph Edwards (Team Snoop)
- Third place: DEK of Hearts (Team Niall)
- Fourth place: Aubrey Nicole (Team Reba)
- Fifth place: Max Chambers (Team Bublé)
- Sixth place: Jazz McKenzie (Team Bublé)
Before the big announcement was made, Niall Horan suggested that none of the coaches were going to be surprised if they heard Aiden Ross’ name called. He told his finalist:
We were all in agreement. From the minute we turned our chairs for you, we knew that you would be stood in this position, to be honest. You are an incredible talent. You’ve been so consistent the whole way through this competition, and you’ve been such a pleasure to work with. A really down-to-earth, lovely guy who’s gifted, and I wish you the best, bud.
So did Niall Horan and the others know at that moment who the winner was?
Michael Bublé Says The Voice Coaches Don’t Find Out The Winner In Advance
Michael Bublé gave us a peek behind the curtain by revealing when all of The Voice coaches learn the results of America’s vote, and it turns out they’re in the dark as much as the contestants and the audience. He said during Tuesday’s finale:
You know, on this show, if you think that we know what’s happening or what to expect, I promise you, till the very last moment we have no idea.
It’s pretty brutal that the results are kept secret from the coaches as well as the contestants, but it makes sense. You want their reactions to be genuine, and you definitely don’t want to run the risk of them spoiling anything too early.
The Voice may be finished for now, but the revamped Season 29 — with all-new rounds and plenty of surprises — is just around the corner, premiering on the 2026 TV schedule at 9 p.m. ET Monday, February 23, on NBC.
