Lionel Richie Joining ‘American Idol’? Music Legend Could Be Second Judge In ‘AI’ Reboot
Most of today’s younger crowd may mostly know him as Nicole and Sofia’s dad, but R&B legend Lionel Richie may be joining American Idol as the rebooted show’s second judge, according to a new report.
In a new report, TMZ cited its sources close to the AI reboot in saying that the show’s producers are high on Lionel Richie as a potential American Idol judge. That’s because the singer, who turns 68-years-old tomorrow, is a legend in the industry, a “credible” person when assessing talent, and someone who has a “knack for honing in on what will become popular.” Lionel’s outgoing personality was cited as another reason why the “All Night Long” and “Endless Love” hitmaker may be in the running to join the rebooted American Idol’s panel of judges.
At the moment, it hasn’t been confirmed if producers have actually spoken to Lionel Richie and invited him to join the American Idol reboot as a judge. Attempts on TMZ’s part to contact the singer’s representatives haven’t resulted in any comment either. But as the publication noted, there’s one potential roadblock in the way of things, and that’s the amount of money he may ask for if invited to join Katy Perry on the judging team.
Although financial specifics of the deal that Perry inked to judge the AI reboot have yet to be confirmed, TMZ noted one of its previous reports, which suggested that she was offered $25 million, a bank-breaking deal that “essentially blew” the allotted budget for the panel of judges. That doesn’t include the reported $10 to $15 million contract Ryan Seacrest signed to host the rebooted version.
With all that said, there have been many other names rumored to join Ryan Seacrest and Katy Perry on the AI reboot.
Aside from Lionel Richie, American Idol rumors have also suggested the inclusion of former judges such as Keith Urban, as the Inquisitr wrote earlier this month, as well as former contestants like Adam Lambert, Chris Daughtry, and Carrie Underwood. Urban himself admitted that there are a “lot of moving parts” that may determine who makes it and who doesn’t make it to the panel of judges, which means anything can happen in the coming weeks as ABC looks to flesh out the reboot’s cast ahead of its 2018 premiere.
What do you think of the rumors Lionel Richie is joining the American Idol reboot? Do you think he’d make a good judge in terms of his onscreen personality and ability to assess talent?
[Featured Image by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall Of Fame]
