Screenshot: Taylor Swift YouTube
Lionel Richie wants to see Taylor Swift replace Katy Perry as a judge on “American Idol” next season.
Richie, speaking to reporters at the “American Idol” Top 10 Tastemaker event in Los Angeles on Monday, expressed his “endless love” for Swift.
At least as a judge on the hit show.
“Taylor Swift, if you’re listening out there, this is a wonderful place to stay,” he said. “Luke and I would love to have you join us.”
He made a similar plea to Entertainment Tonight.
“By the way, Taylor, if you’re available, we’d like to have you out here. Call me!” he said.
Luke Bryan is also a judge, and Perry is prepared to exit “American Idol” at the end of this season.
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One can just imagine how that phone call would go. Surely, Richie will pick up when Swift rings and say: “Hello, is it me you’re looking for?”
Richie isn’t just “stuck on” Swift. She’s not “the only one.”
He also told ET that he’d love to see Kelly Clarkson, the show’s first-ever winner, as a judge, and he used a similar pitch.
“Not only did I think about it, I slipped important notes. You know what I’m saying, Kelly, we’ve been together a long time,” said Richie. “Kelly, if you don’t have anything else to do, I’d like to drop that out there. Big fan!”
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Richie also spoke of the soon-to-be former “American Idol” Katy Perry very fondly.
“Katy’s great,” he said. “The first season, she made me turn into my mom and dad and grandma so fast, ‘Like what are you doing? You can’t do that in public.'”
“Everything that was adult came out of me,” joked Richie. “I realized this lady was out of control.”
“I’m going to miss her. Finding someone who has that sense of humor, it’s going to be tough,” added Richie.
Perry announced her departure from “American Idol” during an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” earlier this year.
“I mean, I love ‘Idol’ so much… It’s connected me with the heart of America, but I feel like I need to go out and feel that pulse to my own beat,” she said.
Perry told Fox News earlier this week that she has the opportunity to “create from a different space now.”
“I feel really happy and whole and loved, so that’s different for an artist because usually you’re writing songs out of pain,” she said. “But I actually think that’s kind of the biggest lie that any artist has been sold, is that you have to stay in pain in order to be a great creator.”
“Actually, you can be happy and have a life and have a family and still contribute really great things to the world, so it’s going to be, I think the music’s going to be reflective of that love and joy,” she added.
Past female judges on “American Idol” include Paula Abdul and Jennifer Lopez. Only time will tell who Perry’s replacement will be!
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