Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie had their run — here’s who we think should judge ‘American Idol’ next season
'American Idol' Season 23 has come to an end, and now the fans of the ABC singing competition are busy wondering which judges will return to the show in the near future. In the most recent season of the hit singing show, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan were joined by Carrie Underwood on the judges' table. For the unversed, let us share with you, Underwood came on board for 'American Idol' Season 23 after Katy Perry's departure, which saw the light of day at the end of Season 22. As per People magazine, while appearing on an episode of 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!', Perry shed light on her exit and said, “I’ve been in the studio for a while, so [Richie and Bryan] figured something is coming. I love the show so much, but I wanna go and see the world and maybe bring new music.”
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On the other hand, when we talk about Richie and Bryan, they have been serving as judges on 'American Idol' since the show's revival on ABC, which kicked off with Season 16 in 2018. A shake-up in the judging panel can help boost its ratings to a whole new level. Getting Katy, Lionel, and Luke for the revamped version of the show was a smart move by the makers. Following Katy's departure, they got Underwood in the mix.
With Underwood on the judging panel, it would be a masterstroke to bring other 'American Idol' alumni on the show. The makers of the show can think about replacing Richie with Adam Lambert. Back in the day, Lambert competed on Season 8 of 'American Idol', finishing as the runner-up. During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Lambert candidly gushed over the singing show and quipped, "I was always a fan of the show. I remember watching the first year when Kelly Clarkson won. I’m a singer and I’ve always been a singer and a theater kid. Getting to tune in week after week and watching young singers compete, it was very exciting because we hadn’t had anything like that in the U.S. in a while."
Since his time on 'American Idol', Lambert has established himself in the music industry. The 43-year-old California native dropped his debut album 'For Your Entertainment' in November 2009. His second album 'Trespassing' and third album 'The Original High', were released in 2012 and 2015, respectively. Lambert dropped his fourth album 'Velvet' in 2020; meanwhile, his fifth album 'High Drama' was released in 2023. With his experience, Lambert would be able to give great advice to the contestants on the show.
Speaking of Bryan, he can be replaced by 'American Idol' Season 3 alum Jennifer Hudson. During her time on the show, Hudson delivered some spectacular performances and eventually came in seventh place. From there on, Hudson was unstoppable. In 2022, Hudson achieved the EGOT status after winning four prestigious awards, including Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. During the same year, Hudson bagged her own talk show, 'The Jennifer Hudson Show.' Getting Hudson as Bryan's replacement on the show will make the panel more multi-faceted. Without a doubt, Hudson would be an exceptional pick for 'American Idol' Season 24.
