Luke Bryan Teases Katy Perry’s Possible ‘American Idol’ Replacement

Who will be the newest addition to American Idol‘s panel of judges following Katy Perry‘s departure? Luke Bryan has spoken, revealing to Billboard that he’s “said several names.”

“I think Pink has been in the talks, Miley Cyrus has been in the talks, Meghan Trainor has been in the talks,” he shared.

Trainor has expressed her interest in taking over Perry’s post, gushing on Watch What Happens Live last month that she has “done every interview in the world and said that is [her] dream job.”

“And I have emailed three awesome people who work in that world, who don’t really have the full say,” she explained. “But I begged. I have begged for this job.”

Pink’s name may come as more of a surprise, for when the subject was broached in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, she highlighted that she “do[es]n’t like hurting people’s feelings” and “like[s her] day job,” per Billboard and Deadline.

Idol Season 1 champ Kelly Clarkson revealed why she wouldn’t step in, citing her children as the main reason in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.

Nonetheless, Bryan teased to Billboard that the search “has been interesting,” noting that “it’s been something Disney been really tightlipped about” with him and fellow judge Lionel Richie, as well as host Ryan Seacrest.

“We currently haven’t heard what the story is on who’s coming back, and if Lionel and I are coming back,” he said. “I think Disney is just trying to figure out what they want to do and we’re just kind of sitting back and waiting until they decide.”

He also praised Perry, who revealed her plans to exit in February, as “really perfect for that job,” and reiterated that he thinks “they’re just working real hard to find somebody that can really come in and do the job that Katy did.”

In the wake of her final turn as judge, Perry shared her hopes for her replacement with Entertainment Tonight.

“I hope it’s someone fearless. I hope it’s someone that doesn’t mince their words, maybe someone a little polarizing just like myself,” she remarked. “There’s a lot of people that’s like, ‘She’s awful! She should go!’ And there’s a lot of people that are like, ‘She speaks her mind! She’s authentic!’ Whatever, you can’t win ’em all. I think it’s actually better not to win ’em all because that means you actually have a point of view.”