What Is That Blue Emoji on 'The Voice'? You'll Probably Be Seeing It Again
Published March 28 2023, 8:53 p.m. ET
Things are just starting to heat up on The Voice's Season 23 with the Battle Rounds officially kicking off.
Team Blake, Team Kelly, Team Chance, and Team Niall are narrowing down their teams, and getting closer to the intense and challenging stages of the competition.
But that's not all that was new in the reality singing competition — a mysterious blue square emoji appeared on viewers' screens.
So, what does the blue emoji stand for? Keep reading for its important meaning.
Why was there a blue square on 'The Voice?'
Viewers all over America noticed that there was a blue square at the corner of their screens throughout the show.
Longtime The Voice host, Carson Daly, explained that the emoji "takes up 2.4 percent of your screen” and "is the same size as the Jewish population in the United States."
He went on to explain that the emoji in the broadcast is the show's way of supporting the Jewish community and taking a stand against anti-semitism, which has been on the rise in the United States.
Carson continued, "Jewish people are victims of 55 percent of all religious hate crimes including vandalism, violence, and threats."
The blue square is part of a new campaign launching called #StandUptoJewishHate.
What is #StandUptoJewishHate?
#StandUptoJewishHate aims to raise awareness on the impact of anti-semitism and humanize the real people who are affected by religious hate every day.
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance recognizes defines anti-semitism as: "A certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
The campaign was created and launched by Patriots owner, Robert Kraft.
Robert is the billionaire CEO and chairman of the Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment, real estate, and more.
In an interview with WBZ-TV's Paula Ebben, the billionaire said, "I love this country, and we're at a danger point, I'm sorry to say," he continued. "I've never seen the hatred and bigotry that's going on. This is the United States of America. And it's something that really bothers me. So hopefully we're going to do something about it."
By partnering with The Voice, the #StandUptoJewishHate campaign hopes to inspire viewers to spread the anti-hate hashtag across social media platforms.
Watch The Voice on NBC Mondays at 8/7c and Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EST.
To find out more about what you can do to raise awareness along with the rest of The Voice team, visit standuptojewishhate.org.
