A chair is opening behind the American Idol desk — and judge Luke Bryan has a few ideas about who might fill it next.
"I've said several names. I think Pink has been in the talks, Miley Cyrus has been in the talks, Meghan Trainor has been in the talks," he told Billboard on Monday.
But that's not a promise. Bryan described Disney as "really tight-lipped" about the casting, including whether he and Lionel Richie would be invited back.
"I think Disney is just trying to figure out what they want to do," he said, "and we're just kind of sitting back and waiting until they decide."
The opening for a new judge comes as Katy Perry exits the show after six seasons, having joined the reboot alongside Bryan and Richie in 2018.
More from CafeMom: Katy Perry Awkwardly Announces She’s Leaving ‘American Idol’ After 7 Years as a Judge
"Katy was really perfect for that job," Luke said, "and I think they're just working real hard to find somebody that can really come in and do the job that Katy did."
"I love 'Idol' so much," Katy told Jimmy Kimmel in February. "It's connected me with the heart of America, but I need to go out and feel that pulse of my own beat."
For Katy, that pulse includes releasing her sixth studio album and newest single, "Woman's World," which drops July 11.
As for the other artists Luke name-dropped, two had very different reactions.
"I've done every interview in the world and said that that is my dream job," Meghan said on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. "I have emailed three awesome people who work in that world who don't really have the final say … but I have begged for this job."
Meghan said Idol is her favorite show: "I've watched it since I was a child."
Pink, for her part, was far more apprehensive. "I don't like hurting people's feelings," she told Entertainment Tonight. "I like my day job."
-by Eva Hartman
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