NBC'S "THE VOICE" TAPS MUSIC ICON STING AND MULTI-HYPHENATE JENNIFER HUDSON AS SEASON 26 MEGA MENTORS

Former Coach Hudson Returns for First Time Since Season 15

Mentorship Marks Sting's Debut on "The Voice"

· 17-time Grammy Award winner Sting and EGOT winner Jennifer Hudson will serve as mega mentors on season 26 of the four-time Emmy Award-winning musical competition series "The Voice," airing Mondays (8-10 p.m. ET/PT) and Tuesdays (9-10 p.m. ET/PT) on NBC and next day on Peacock.

· In an exciting first for "The Voice," two legendary musicians come aboard as mega mentors. Hudson joins Michael Bublé and Reba McEntire while Sting joins coaches Snoop Dogg and Gwen Stefani to mentor the remaining artists as each team prepares for the Knockouts, beginning Monday, Nov. 11.

· The uber-competitive three-way Knockouts are back. The artists are paired against two other teammates, but this time, they will select their own songs to perform individually while their direct competitors watch and wait. Alongside the coaches, genre-bender Sting and vocal powerhouse Hudson will bring their years of experience to guide the artists into their strongest performances yet. Coaches alone choose the winner from their team to advance to the Playoffs, the last round before the Live Shows. Each coach has one save and one steal in this round.

· As one of the world's most distinctive artists, Sting, managed by the Cherrytree Music Company, has earned 17 Grammy Awards, two Brits, a Golden Globe, an Emmy, four Oscar nominations, a Tony nomination, Billboard magazine's Century Award and MusiCares 2004 Person of the Year. A member of both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame, he has received the Kennedy Center Honors, American Music Award of Merit and Polar Music Prize. Sting has been awarded honorary doctorates of music by the University of Northumbria (1992), Berklee College of Music (1994), University of Newcastle upon Tyne (2006) and Brown University at its 250th commencement ceremony (2018). Throughout his illustrious career, he has sold over 100 million albums from his combined work with the Police and as a solo artist.

· Entertainment icon Jennifer Hudson is a Grammy, Oscar, Tony and Emmy-winning artist. Over her highly acclaimed career, Hudson has been named one of Time magazine's "Most Influential People in the World," received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, received NAACP Entertainer of the Year, performed at the Super Bowl, sang for world leaders and even has a day named after her in her beloved city of Chicago. Hudson's nationally syndicated talk show, "The Jennifer Hudson Show," which launched its third season in September, is the recipient of 10 Daytime Emmy Award nominations and two People's Choice Awards nominations. The show, which continually features an impressive lineup of guests, earned her the AAFCA We See You Award, GLAAD's Excellence in Media Award and the NAACP Image Award for Best Talk Show Host. Hudson was also a coach on seasons 13 and 15 of "The Voice." On Oct. 18, Hudson released her highly anticipated first holiday album, "The Gift of Love," which features genre-defying, world-class collaborations on classics and original songs.

· "The Voice" remains the most-watched alternative series for its sixth consecutive fall and is having its best season on Peacock.

· "The Voice" is a presentation of MGM Television, Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Warner Horizon, and ITV Studios The Voice USA, Inc. The series was created by John de Mol, who serves as an executive producer along with Mark Burnett, Audrey Morrissey, Amanda Zucker, Kyra Thompson, Adam H. Sher and Barry Poznick.