FOX's TV chairman Dana Walden, meanwhile, weighs in on ABC's reboot of the singing competition as she says, 'It felt to us it would be extremely fraudulent to bring the show back quickly.'
- May 16, 2017
AceShowbiz - Right after ABC announced its "American Idol" revival, people have been questioning who will serve as judges on the one-time ratings juggernaut. Several names reportedly are thrown in the mix as potential judges on the show. HollywoodLife.com reports that Chris Daughtry, Timbaland and Fantasia Barrino are eyed by the Alphabet to fill the positions.
"They are eager to get a person of ethnic background or person of color so Fantasia [Barrino] is being considered and is in the mix," a source tells the site. The source also confirms that the rumors about Chris being the potential judge for the show are true.
The site further reports that ABC wants to bring four judges instead of three for its "American Idol" reboot. For the additional judge, they are said to be "looking to possibly have a new name or producer or record label person join the show." To fill the void, Timbaland's name reportedly has been mentioned in discussions.
Previously, Katy Perry was reported to be courted to serve as a judge on the show. The "Bon Appetit" singer is eyed as negotiations with Kelly Clarkson fell through due to her salary demands. Kelly later was officially announced as new coach for "The Voice" upcoming season 14. Former judge Simon Cowell, meanwhile, made it clear that he had zero interest to return for the show on ABC.
In related news, FOX, the former home of "American Idol" for 15 seasons, seemingly thinks that the revival is too soon. FOX's TV chairman Dana Walden said during a conference call on Monday, May 15, "They were determined to get this show back on the air as quickly as possible. We spent about $25 million sending a clear message that it was the farewell season."
Walden added, "It felt to us it would be extremely fraudulent to bring the show back quickly, that fans would not appreciate being told one thing and then having the show brought back right away."
While confirming the fact that FOX indeed placed an offer to bring back the singing competition, it still "thought it was too early to bring the show back" in 2018 and hoped the revival would come later, potentially even in 2020. "All of our research and all of our fan forums supported that notion. We did not see the fan excitement and enthusiasm for the show to come back that Fremantle did. We just had a different set of facts," Walden shared.
