Could Kelly Clarkson join American Idol on ABC as a judge?
According to Variety, Kelly Clarkson is a name that is already hovering around out there as a potential judge for a 16th season of the show, and it makes a whole lot of sense. Not only is she proof positive that the show changes lives for singers, but she’s got a big personality and is entertaining television to watch. In addition to all of that, she also has some ties to ABC. She was previously a part of Duets, one of the previous attempts / failures by the network to get into the singing-show genre. With Ryan Seacrest reportedly being the favorite to return as the host, there would already be some familiarity both in front of the camera and behind the scenes.
We know that in the past, there was some discussion about an all-alumni panel that included the likes of Kelly and season 8 alum Adam Lambert, so we have to float that idea out there again: Couldn’t they still do that now? The idea of having these two plus Carrie Underwood on the panel would be fantastic, especially if you could bring on people like Jennifer Hudson or a Jordin Sparks as guests or mentors. We’re not sure if ABC would be game for this, though, since they may try to get a recording executive to capture more of the feel of the first season. Had the show come back on NBC, maybe there was an outside chance to get Simon Cowell back given his current deal with the network. One other option is that they go for a current music star so that they can really try to capture the support of a fan base that is currently trending, but we are firmly on the side of bringing back past idols as a way of tipping the hat full circle to the new comers.
One way or another, there is going to be a ton of time to figure all of this out. Just remember that a new American Idol season, whether it features Kelly Clarkson or anyone else, is probably not going to air until March 2018.
For the time being, what is your dream American Idol season 16 panel? Be sure to sound off with some of your thoughts in the comments!
Meanwhile, head over here if you want to read some other recent news about the American Idol revival, including some more talk about the battle between multiple networks. (Photo: Fox.)