American Idol has reportedly come to terms with legendary R&B pop singer Lionel Richie to sit in one of its coveted judge’s chairs. The enormously popular talent show was said to be boxed in financially after securing singer Katy Perry and host Ryan Seacrest with lucrative deals. Perry’s deal — and she’s not even bringing left shark — is worth $25 million, according to Variety. Seacrest looks to have locked in at $15 million for the season, which will likely begin airing in March. ETOnline says Idol looked at drafting musicians as diverse as Charlie Puth, Keith Urban, Dolly Parton, and Common before being able to lure Richie, former frontman of the Commodores and massive selling solo star.
American Idol, like The Voice and other performance reality shows, is really a judges/coaches show. Sure, the amateur talent vying for a shot at fame takes center stage at times, but it’s bankable personalities like Miley Cyrus (36.6 million followers on Twitter) and Katy Perry (105 million followers on Twitter) who deliver the audiences, which is why the salaries are so exorbitant. Richie’s deal was undisclosed, but word is he wasn’t interested for single-digit millions. Some things might be “easy like Sunday morning.” But Lionel Richie ain’t one of them. The other chair will belong to Luke Bryan.
