Luke Bryan is teasing which mega pop star could possibly replace Katy Perry as a judge on American Idol.
“I’ve said several names. I think Pink has been in the talks, Miley Cyrus has been in the talks, Meghan Trainor has been in the talks,” the country crooner, 47, told Billboard in a new interview published on Monday, July 1.
Noting that the process of selecting a new judge “has been interesting,” Bryan continued, “It’s been something Disney has been really tightlipped about with me and Lionel [Richie] and Ryan [Seacrest]. We currently haven’t heard what the story is on who’s coming back, and if Lionel and I are coming back. I think Disney is just trying to figure out what they want to do and we’re just kind of sitting back and waiting until they decide.”
He added, “I think they’re just working real hard to find somebody that can really come in and do the job that Katy did.”
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Cyrus, 31, has the experience needed to fill Perry’s chair, as she was previously a coach on season 11 and season 13 of The Voice. Meanwhile, Pink, 44, has been outspoken about why she’s hesitant to take Perry’s seat after her season 22 exit from the long-running singing competition.
“I don’t like hurting people’s feelings … I like my day job,” she told Entertainment Tonight in June.
That same month, Trainor, 30, called the gig her “dream job” during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.
“I’ve done every interview in the world and said that that is my dream job, and I have emailed three awesome people who work in that world,” she told host Andy Cohen. “I have begged for this job. I haven’t heard any updates, so check my emails, but that is my dream job. I want to drive to work [on] American Idol and then drive home.”
Perry, 39, first hinted at her decision to leave Idol during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in February. She joined the panel of judges during season 16 in 2018.
“I think this probably will be my last show, my last season for Idol,” she said. “I mean, I love Idol so much. It’s connected me with, like, the heart of America, but I feel like I need to go out and feel that pulse to my own beat, you what I’m saying?”
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After Perry hinted that Bryan and Richie, 75, weren’t aware of her decision at the time, she added, “Well, they’ll find out tonight. “They know that I have some things planned for this year.”
In an interview with Taste of Country in April, Bryan revealed that he wasn’t surprised by the “Firework” singer’s decision to leave the show.
“I had heard whispers that she was thinking about it – it wasn’t like a huge shock,” the “Buy Dirt” singer said. “I think she kinda just got caught up in the moment with [Jimmy] Kimmel and maybe announced that she was done.”
