Judge Jelly Roll.
Katy Perry recently announced that she was stepping away from American Idol after seven seasons of serving as a judge on the singing competition. And as she wraps up her final season on the show, she’s already named her pick to replace her.
During an interview with E! News, Perry was asked who she would like to see take her spot alongside Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie on the judge’s panel for season 23, and one name immediately came to mind:
“I gotta say, Jelly Roll was crazy when he came on the show. I was convinced at anything he said. He could run for president, he could be my pastor, I might go back to church for him…he could sell me anything. So to have any of these guys plus Jelly on the show would be amazing.”
And she says that it’s Jelly’s ability to express his opinions in a constructive way that makes him a perfect fit for a spot on the panel:
“I want a truth-teller, that’s what I want. I want someone who’s not afraid to tell the truth in a graceful way…
So just someone who has a strong sense of self that listens to their intuition.”
Sounds like a pretty strong endorsement.
Of course the question remained, was Jelly Roll even interested in the job? And the answer is an enthusiastic “Yes.”
Jelly Roll was recently asked during an interview with KFRG’s Kelli & Guy on Audacy about the possibility of joining the lineup on Idol, and it sounds like he’d jump at the chance to replace Katy Perry on the show:
“Of course, I love American Idol. I’ve accepted the job and they haven’t offered it.”
Of course Jelly may be a natural choice for the show now that he has experience on Idol. The country superstar recently served as a guest judge and mentor, where he seemed to really bond with not only his fellow judges but also the contestants that he was mentoring.
So it sounds like the Idol producers just need to make the call and make this happen.