'We Were A Train Wreck When We First Met': Lionel Richie Talks Already Missing Katy Perry And What The New American Idol Judge Needs
Katy Perry has officially left the building. With the crowning of Abi Carter as American Idol’s Season 22 champion, the “Roar” singer’s time on the ABC singing competition is over. No replacement has been named to presumably join Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan for Season 23, though Perry has shared who she’d pick, and some celebs have thrown their hats in the ring. In the meantime, it seems Richie is feeling a bit nostalgic for the trio that worked together for seven years, as he talked about missing Perry already and an important quality the new judge needs to have.
Lionel Richie Reminisces About Their ‘Train Wreck’ Early Seasons Together
There’s no arguing how different Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie are from each other. They come from different eras and different genres of music, having taken different journeys to eventually come together on American Idol in Season 16. So it’s not hard to believe Richie when he recalls the judges being something of a hot mess in their early years together. He told USA TODAY:
We were a train wreck when we first met. I knew Katy, I knew Luke, but we had never worked together. … Once we realized that Katy's going to come out of her clothes somewhere during the course of the show – a malfunction is going to happen – and Luke is going to eat the pizza and drop it on his lap, it's enough to keep you on pins. But it worked. I'm going to miss this group. Katy is going to be missed.
Ah, the wardrobe malfunctions. Anybody who’s watched Katy Perry’s reign on American Idol has likely witnessed the singer splitting her pants — more than once, too. She was the opposite of embarrassed as she tried to show off the damage after one 2018 incident, and then she and Luke Bryan had a fun exchange after another malfunction in 2022. Bryan apparently has problems of his own, according to Lionel Richie, but it sounds like these three have made plenty of fond memories together.
What Katy Perry’s American Idol Replacement Needs To Have
That said, the “Endless Love” crooner has some pretty strong opinions about specific qualities the new American Idol judge will need to embody. For one thing, Lionel Richie said, they’ll have to be able to “tolerate two crazy brothers like me and Luke.” Katy Perry’s replacement will also need to have their own “personality,” or “quirk,” but the judge cautions anyone against trying to recreate Perry’s persona. Richie said:
You've got to bring your character. Be who you are. Katy's Katy. It's like singing a Whitney Houston song. Don't try to sing it like Whitney; interpret it… There's a lot of artists out there that can sing, but to join a very successful team you've gotta be confident of your space. You know who you are and you'll last forever here. … It's got to be somebody that identifies with the young culture.
Katy Perry herself weighed in on what she’s hoping to see from the new judge, saying she wants someone who will give honest feedback and won’t mince their words. The singer has said she’d love to see Jelly Roll get the gig, while Season 6 winner Jordin Sparks has said she’d be interested in returning to American Idol in a judging capacity. One singer who’s decidedly not gunning for the role is Pink, who said she wouldn’t want to have to hurt people’s feelings.
It will be interesting to see who is chosen, now that another judge has left American Idol, so while we wait for official word, check out our 2024 TV schedule to see what shows are premiering soon.
