Katy Perry to reportedly serve as new 'American Idol' revival judge, deal just about done

Katy Perry is reportedly negotiating a deal to become the lead judge on American Idol when it returns in early 2018.


Talks are underway between American Idol producers and Perry, a pop and style icon, and an official announcement is expected to be made by ABC on Tuesday, May 16, TMZ reported.

Idol reportedly set its sights on Perry after the plan to have Season 1 American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson sit on the judging panel fell through when NBC announced she had decided to join The Voice for its fourteenth season in Spring 2018.

Clarkson will join The Voice mainstays Adam Levine and Blake Shelton, and the fourth coach will be announced at a later date. NBC announced Clarkson had signed a deal with The Voice less than a week after ABC publicly confirmed it had picked up American Idol's revival and only a couple of days after reports surfaced Clarkson had been ABC's top choice for an Idol judging position.

The Voice had also managed to win over Jennifer Hudson, a third-season Idol finalist who will be serving as a coach for Season 13 this fall with Levine, Shelton and Miley Cyrus.


According to sources familiar with Perry and Idol's negotiations, the "Firework" and "I Kissed A Girl" singer will be the only judge announced this week for Idol's revival because she's the only person producers are sure about.

The other Idol judges, however, will likely be a more low-budget songwriter and music producer, according to the website. Sources claim Idol producers feel the show is more about its aspiring artists and the competition itself, so having three big stars on the panel is not necessary.

Fox initially pulled the plug on Idol because it became too expensive to produce with stars like Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Steven Tyler on the judging panel as well as Ryan Seacrest serving as host. When TMZ recently caught up with Tyler, he admitted he'd be up for judging Idol again with Lopez and Randy Jackson but would ask for even more money now.

ABC is hoping not to repeat the financial problem Fox had encountered, but Perry's addition will be pricey.

Seacrest's participation will also not come cheap, but he is said to be the heart of the reality singing competition since he hosted all 15 seasons of American Idol when it aired on Fox.


TMZ reported that despite Seacrest's busy schedule -- as he recently landed the gig of being Kelly Ripa's co-host on ABC's Live with Kelly and Ryan -- his Idol comeback is "almost certain."

Perry had been asked to judge American Idol on Fox in the past but turned down the opportunity. She did, however, appear as a guest judge on Season 9 when she filled in for Paula Abdul.

Perry has never fully committed to any reality singing competition before. Although she previously served as a guest judge on the U.K. version of The X Factor, according to The Hollywood Reporter, she had passed on an offer to join the U.S. version of The X Factor in addition to multiple $10-plus million salary offers to join The Voice.

American Idol's fifteenth season ended last year with Trent Harmon being crowned the last winner over La'Porsha Renae.

At the peak of Idol's success in 2006, the series drew an enormous 36.4 total viewers. Ratings, however, steadily declined as the show neared its end. Its final season reportedly averaged only 9.1 million viewers.


In addition to Clarkson and Hudson, many pop icons also got their start on the former Fox reality singing competition and went on to find great success and fame -- including Aiken, Lambert, Phillip Phillips, Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry, and Scotty McCreery.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski