American Idol 16: Katy Perry wants Charlie Puth, Lionel Richie to judge

American Idol 16 is still looking to complete its judging panel, and we now have a better sense as to who Katy Perry herself wants. With that, we do think that we’ve got a big clue as to what’s going to happen over on ABC. You see, they’re paying Perry $25 million to judge, and she’s likely read some of the reports about the people in contention to be a judge this year. She’s taken stock, and she may be helping in one way or another to influence the final decision.

Speaking to Ryan Seacrest (of course, the show’s host) on his radio show this week, Perry singled out the following two performers for very specific reasons.

Lionel Richie – ““I’m really pulling for Lionel because I think Lionel is an icon, and not only that, but if you’ve seen or ever met Lionel, he just knows how to charm the whole room and he’s such an artisan with words.”

Richie’s name has been out there as a contender for a judge role for a long time, and he would probably be very good at it. The big question here is if ABC can negotiate a deal with him that works for both parties.

Charlie Puth – “Charlie I think is an interesting play because Charlie Puth is somewhat new to the general public of America … Obviously, he has his own big fan base, but I think he’s really talented. That song ‘Attention’ is one of my favorite songs this year.”

Puth has also had his name out there, and he represents the young generation of singers. He may view the show as a platform in addition to it being a great job.

What about some other names?

We don’t like four-judge panels, but we wouldn’t be shocked if ABC went with Perry’s picks plus added someone like a Luke Bryan or a Keith Urban to fill it out. After all, having appeal with country music fans is huge sing it further guarantees that you get that audience watching. Not having a country singer on the panel isn’t necessarily foreign to the show, but they did have it with Urban for the final few years of the show. Meanwhile, The Voice has long had country representation in the form of Blake Shelton.

ABC does have a sense of urgency at this point when it comes to figuring out who their next judges are going to be on the show. Just remember where we are now with auditions starting to film in a number of weeks. There are auditions taking place throughout the country right now, but those are with show producers as opposed to the big-name judges. That comes a little bit later on down the road.

What do you think about Katy Perry’s ideal American Idol lineup? Share in the comments below!

Meanwhile, be sure to click here in the event you do want some additional news when it comes to the show. New episodes should air at some point in early 2018. (Photo: ABC.)