Katy Perry Is Officially The First Judge Announced For The American Idol Reboot

Katy Perry will be sitting on the judging panel of the ‘American Idol’ reboot.

It was announced earlier this year that the singing competition ‘American Idol’ will be returning this fall to ABC for its 16th season. On Tuesday, the network announced at its upfront presentation who will be the first judge: Katy Perry.

Perry also shared the news on Twitter, saying that she’s thrilled that the show is coming back and that she can’t wait to the auditions.

SO thrilled @ABCNetwork is bringing back @AmericanIdol, and I’m bringing it back to the 🎶MUSIC🎶 👁 you at auditions❗ pic.twitter.com/E0DGe3pVcY

— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) May 16, 2017

Entertainment Weekly reported that producers of the show have tried to get the “Roar” singer to judge the competition for years. The hire turns out as impressive as necessary for ABC. Bringing back the franchise generated some polemic and skepticism after its cancellation by Fox just last year. The major star name helps to anchor the panel and justify the quick return of the competition.

“I am honored and thrilled to be the first judge bringing back the ‘American Idol’ tradition of making dreams come true for incredible talents with authentic personalities and real stories,” Perry said in a statement. “I’m always listening to new music, and love discovering diamonds in the rough – from mentoring young artists on my label or highlighting new artists on my tours, I want to bring it back to the music.”

The network is allegedly offering her between $10 to $15 million. That’s rather costly, isn’t it? Well, it is very likely that the other two judges will be more low profile – meaning, less expensive. Considering the fact that Fox put an end to the show due to large expenses and a decreasing rating, ABC needs to determine the budget for ‘Idol’ carefully.

ABC wanted Kelly Clarkson, but she’s now judging ‘The Voice’

By the time ABC was planning the return of ‘Idol,’ the network was in discussions with Kelly Clarkson, who won the show’s first season, to be one of the judges. But just days after the ABC’s ‘Idol’ deal was announced, NBC pried in and signed Clarkson for ‘The Voice,’ as well as ‘Idol’s season 3 finalist Jennifer Hudson.

While rumors say NBC  hired her on purpose to mess with their rival, the network denies it.

‘Idol’ alumni Chris Daughtry is also expected to return as judge of the show.

ABC’s Entertainment President spoke on the decision of acquiring ‘Idol’

After ABC announced that they would be bringing ‘American Idol’ back, the network’s entertainment president Channing Dungey defended their position against polemics of the premature revival.

“Look, from where we sit, we feel it’s a great time to bring the series back,” she said. “What I love about it, personally, [is that ‘Idol’ is] about uplifting stories about people who make their dreams come true — and that’s our sweet spot at ABC. All of our franchises deal in that. For me, that makes it feel like the perfect home at the perfect time.”

They still haven’t mentioned who would be hosting the show, but Ryan Seacrest said on “Live with Kelly & Ryan” that he would be open to being the host when the competition premieres. The TV producer served as host of ‘Idol’ when the show aired on Fox for 15 seasons.