Season 21 of American Idol wrapped up in late May 2023, and since season 16, Lionel Richie has been a judge alongside Luke Bryan and Katy Perry. While the talented singer's children Nicole Richie and Sofia Richie have become stars themselves, Lionel Richie's fans have enjoyed watching him as a judge. His long history with the music industry made him a perfect choice to mentor and help aspiring singers with their creativity and craft.
In order to be a good judge on a reality TV show, someone needs to have a big personality, strong opinions, and an entertaining on-camera presence. But that sometimes makes it hard for judges to be friendly with one another. Has Lionel Richie had good experiences on American Idol? And what does he think of Luke Bryan and Katy Perry?
Does Lionel Richie Like Being A Judge On American Idol?
Lionel Richie's many Billboard Hot 100 songs prove how popular he is. From "Three Times A Lady" to "We Are The World," his fans love his countless incredible songs.
Richie was a judge on American Idol for seasons 16 through 21. At this time, it's unknown if he will come back for season 22. But based on how much he seems to love being part of the show, it's likely that he will return.
Lionel Richie seems to really like being a judge on American Idol. He has shared positive opinions about the contestants. As season 21 was wrapping up, he told Entertainment Tonight that he thought that the remaining five contestants would do well in the music industry.
Iam Tongi won season 21 of American Idol. Before that happened, Richie talked about Tongi and the other four contestants Zachariah Smith, Wé Ani, Megan Danielle, and Colin Stough. He said to Entertainment Tonight, "The Top 5, they have careers. I mean, you could just see it. Each one of them, they tick off a box. [They] have the identity, they've got the voice, they've got the entertainment factor. It's just a matter now of what you do with it."
It seems that Richie truly believes that American Idol can launch music careers. If. he didn't agree with the goal of the reality competition show, he probably wouldn't want to be a judge. And if he didn't enjoy being a judge, he might not have come back season after season.
Lionel Richie explained in an interview with The New York Times back in 2018 that he was excited to get the chance to be an American Idol judge. He felt that he had good advice to share.
Richie said, “For two days a week, Professor Richie is going to talk about the reality of what it takes to be an artist. Instead of sitting here moaning about how the world has changed since I started, I’m going to tell them what it takes."
Richie continued to The New York Times, "You think it’s just singing? No, it’s not. What kind of style do you have? What kind of stamina do you have? How many times can you take ‘No’? How many times can you come back? That’s an artist.”
He was definitely a great choice for a judge since he knows so much about becoming a successful singer.
Is Lionel Richie Friends With His American Idol Fellow Judges?
Reality competition shows are pressure cookers. No one would blame the American Idol judges for having some issues with each other from time to time.
There has been talk that the other American Idol judges aren't as nice as they could be to Lionel Richie. According to The Sun, viewers were unsure if Katy Perry and Luke Bryan were being polite to Richie in an April 2023 episode.
The website reported that viewers shared their thoughts about this interaction on Reddit. Several people said that Perry wasn't giving Richie a chance to speak. And they were upset at the behavior.
Someone wrote on Reddit, "Does anyone else not get annoyed at how they leave out Lionel???? Idk why, it bothers me so much lol! He is so sweet and they always talk over him."
But although viewers have wondered about whether the three judges get along, Katy Perry thinks very highly of Lionel Richie. She was quoted in The New York Times profile of him and said that she knew that he should be a judge on the show and called him an "uncle" and "historian" who had "wisdom."
Perry and Richie didn't appear in a May 2023 American Idol episode because they sang at the concert that was part of the coronation.
People reported that when Richie mentioned that King Charles is a pal of his, Bryan didn't think that was true. However, Perry and Richie called into the reality series, and so did Queen Camilla and King Charles.
Luke Bryan spoke about Lionel Richie and explained to People, "It just shows you the scope and the power of who Lionel Richie [is]. When you think about when Lionel wrote and performed 'We Are the World,' that put him in a situation where he wrote a song for the world. Therefore, Lionel went around and met all of these world leaders and stuff. So when you see that he's developed a relationship with King Charles through the years, to the point where Lionel could ask him to pop by and say hey to everybody."
While viewers have wondered about Lionel Richie's true relationship with Katy Perry and Luke Bryan, there don't appear to be any hard feelings between them.
In March 2018, Lionel Richie talked to People about his fellow judges. He had a good attitude and said that while he, Perry, and Bryan have their own thoughts about contestants, he's fine with that.
Richie said, "As we get closer to the real deal I can almost feel that we’re going to be able to voice our opinions – I’m bringing my mace!” Bryan said, "You’re going to mace us. Don’t let him go through your pocketbook, Nicole [Richie], and get your pepper spray.”
Lionel Richie seems to enjoy appearing on American Idol with Luke Bryan and Katy Perry. Since all three judges keep renewing their American Idol contracts, they seem to like working together. And their business relationship seems to be very positive.
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