The Voice finalist Josh Sanders fights estranged wife over custody of three children

Josh Sanders, the North Carolina singer who finished second on The Voice, is now locked in a bitter custody fight with estranged wife Kendra Sanders over their three children. Court filings describe a deeply fractured relationship, with each side accusing the other of behavior that could shape where the children live and who supervises visitation.

The couple separated in January, and Sanders is asking for custody on the grounds that Kendra is trying to turn the children against him and blocking any real co-parenting. He also says one of the children wants to live with him, a claim that adds another layer to a case already marked by escalating legal claims.

Kendra Sanders is pushing back hard. She alleges that Josh Sanders is an active alcoholic, says he drove drunk with the children in the car and says he was violent in front of them. On that basis, she wants primary custody and argues that he should get only supervised visitation, while she provides what she describes as a stable, loving, alcohol-free home.

The dispute lands far from the television spotlight that Sanders gained on Season 25 of The Voice. He reached the live finale on May 21, 2024, finished second to Asher HaVon and did so as Team Reba’s country finalist. Sanders earned his place on the show with a blind audition performance of Nate Smith’s “Whiskey On You,” then returned for finale performances of Vince Gill’s “Go Rest High on That Mountain” and Randy Houser’s “Boots On.”

Sanders’ run on the NBC series also drew attention because the network described him as a native of North Carolina whose life had been shaped by tragedy, including the loss of an infant son who died the day he was born. That public image of a family man now sits beside a legal fight that has moved into domestic-violence territory as well.

Sanders was arrested in April 2026 for violating a domestic violence temporary restraining order, and he filed a trespassing complaint against Kendra Sanders earlier in June. He has said the restraining order was connected to the custody fight. For Sanders, the argument has shifted from a national singing competition to a courtroom battle over parental control, personal conduct and the future of three children.