Jordin Sparks says she ‘wouldn’t be a mean judge’ if picked to take over Katy Perry’s job on American Idol

Jordin Sparks isn’t optimistic about her chances of replacing Katy Perry as a judge on American Idol, but she’s still open to the idea.

The 34-year-old singer, who won American Idol season 6 in 2007, was candid about the opportunity after Perry, 39, left after season 22.

“I’m sure they’ve picked someone else by now, but I thought it would make sense,” she said of joining the jury during an interview with TMZ on Friday.

She continued, “I’m someone who’s done it, I’ve been there, I love the show, obviously, and I also love mentoring people who are coming up in the industry. That would have been cool.”

When asked if she would be a “mean judge,” Jordin replied with a smile, “No! You can’t even ask that, you know I won’t be mean.”

The 34-year-old singer, who won the sixth season of American Idol in 2007, was candid about the opportunity following Perry, 39,’s departure after season 22

“But I’ll be honest, no one gets helped if you don’t tell them the truth. So I would be honest, but I would be nice.”

While ABC has yet to announce who will replace Katy, several stars have expressed interest in joining the judging panel, including Jelly Roll and Meghan Trainor.

There could be multiple openings on the judging panel for season 23, as Luke Bryan revealed to Billboard in June that both his and Lionel Richie’s positions on the show are uncertain.

Meanwhile, Katy is reportedly blaming others for the disappointing performance of her comeback single Woman’s World and is urgently looking for a new strategy to salvage her musical comeback.

The singer released the first single from her upcoming album 143 last Thursday, but the powerful anthem was quickly criticized as unoriginal and predictable.

With the single rapidly declining on the US iTunes charts within a week of its July 11 release, Katy is reportedly panicking and demanding that her team adjust their strategy to prevent her album from suffering the same fate.

‘Katy is freaking out now because she’s very aware of the feedback Woman’s World is getting,’ an insider exclusively told DailyMail.com. ‘She’s blaming everyone but herself, but it’s her own fault.’

The source noted that Katy’s biggest gamble was to get back together with Dr. Luke, the producer behind her hits like I Kissed a Girl and California Gurls, who has been accused by Kesha of sexual, physical and emotional abuse.

Dr. Luke has denied all allegations, including Kesha’s claim that he raped Katy, a claim that Katy herself has denied.

In 2020, a New York state judge ruled against Kesha, arguing that her allegations discredited Dr. Luke. That decision was upheld by an appeals court in 2021.

When asked if she would be a “mean judge,” Jordin replied with a smile, “No! You can’t even ask that, you know I won’t be mean.”

Katy is pointing ‘at everyone but herself’ after her comeback single Woman’s World failed to top the charts, a source told DailyMail.com

The 39-year-old singer is “panicked” over the poor reception of the track, which has seen her reunite with her longtime partner Dr. Luke following his lawsuit with Kesha.

Despite a settlement Kesha and Dr. Luke reached in 2023, many music fans are still critical of artists who collaborate with him.

After DailyMail.com previously revealed that Katy had been warned not to collaborate with Dr Luke on the new album, the source confirmed that the Roar singer had ignored the pleas.

“She was insane to think Dr. Luke was a good idea. She didn’t listen to anyone,” the insider said.

“Instead of delving into the material and creating art, she released something that sounded like it could have been on one of her 2010 albums.”