Katy Perry threw a name out for her replacement as a judge on American Idol, and you may need a “Bottle and Mary Jane” to accept it.
The “Dark Horse” singer, leaving the ABC singing competition after this season, recently shared her top pick for who should join Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan as judges.
“I gotta say Jelly Roll was crazy when he came on the show,” Perry recently told E! News. “I was convinced at anything he said. He could run for president, he could be my pastor, I might go back to church for him. He could sell me anything.”
“So I love him,” she added. “And to have any of these guys plus Jelly on the show would be amazing. I love you, Jelly!”
Perry also laid out a few more requirements she felt Jelly Roll would meet. “I want a truth teller,” she explained. “I want someone that is not afraid to tell the truth in a graceful way.”
Moreover, Perry said the perfect future judge should be someone who can brush off online trolls and critics like a pro. In other words: Don’t read the comments.
Perry’s remarks were made roughly a week following Jell Roll’s appearance as a guest mentor on the April 8 episode of Idol. There, he provided guidance and coaching to the top 24 contestants in Hawaii. He also performed his hit, “Halfway to Hell”, which is how the outlaw artist might feel if he were to judge American Idol.
Why Katy Perry’s Choice of Jelly Roll Might Not Be the Best ‘American Idol’ Replacement
While Jelly Roll is an inspired choice by Katy Perry, having three male Southerners (Ritchie is from Alabama, Bryan is a Georgia boy, and Jelly’s from Tennessee) as judges might make American Idol something of a Dixie fried sausage party. Maybe that would work if the show migrated from ABC to CMT. However, perhaps another Yankee or Californian lady host would be a better replacement to reflect the Stars and Stripes.
Meanwhile, Perry is likely ready to get back to music full-time. Her most recent studio album, “Smile,” marked her sixth release, debuting on August 28, 2020. Her latest single featured a collaboration with country artist Thomas Rhett, appearing on his album “Where We Started,” a track that shares its title with the album itself. That dropped back in 2022.
In 2018, Perry joined American Idol as a judge for its 16th season, though she had previously made a guest appearance during the show’s ninth season. Katy’s debut alongside co-judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, with Ryan Seacrest as host, marked the show’s return on ABC instead of Fox, where it had been canceled two years earlier. American Idol has continued to air on ABC ever since.