With the premiere of the ABC reboot of American Idol premiere closing in, many fans of the iconic reality series are left wondering one important question: who is going to take over Simon Cowell’s title of the ‘Mean Judge.’
In a 2018 interview with Late Night with Seth Meyers, country singer Luke Bryan dished on whether or not he and his fellow judges – Katy Perry and Lionel Richie – has taken over for Cowell.
“Everyone wants to know who the mean judge is, that just tears them apart,” admitted Bryan. “When we’re dealing with these kids, we’re very truthful,” Bryan said before continuing, “I’ve walked off set and there’s all the people back there, you’ve got them, but they’re like ‘you were really stern with them.'”
Guess Bryan is taking on a bit of the role of mean judge! Later on in the interview, Bryan shared his strategy on how he would have dominated the competition
“I would have been the aw shucks, gullible country boy that could sing a little bit,” Bryan shared with Meyers. “But I would have had to lean on my charming personality, my wit. I wouldn’t have known who I was as an artist.”
Season 18 of American Idol premieres Sunday February 16 on ABC.