This week, American Idol returned to screens with a major shake-up as Luke Bryan was joined by guest judges Alanis Morissette and Ed Sheeran. Usual panelists Katy Perry and Lionel Richie were in London to perform for King Charles’s Coronation.
Although the major change threatened to annoy fans, the swap seemingly didn’t phase a number of viewers as they made calls for the newcomers to become permanent judges.
Katy was replaced by the Ironic singer, while Ed Sheeran stepped in for Lionel Richie, who also performed at the historic event. American Idol viewers were so impressed with Alanis’s guest appearance and took to social media to make calls for the songstress to be a permanent fixture on the show.
@JohnWorth5 remarked: “Alanis was on American Idol this week and I’m re-obsessed with her now.” While @skatefan78 stated: “You know if #AmericanIdol wanted to replace two of the judges we have now with Alanis and Ed I would be fine.” (sic)
During the episode, Katy and Lionel made a short appearance via video chat to thank Alanis and Ed for stepping in. As Katy shared brief commentary on the contestants’ performance, she joked: “You guys, thanks so much for taking our jobs.”
King Charles III and Queen Camilla also made a surprise appearance on American Idol as they were part of a comedy sketch. As the royals appeared in front of the camera, the newly crowned King Charles took a cheeky swipe at Lionel’s ’80’s classic and asked: “Are you going to be doing this all night long?
“How long you’ll be using this room for?” he added and after the monarch chuckled, Lionel announced: “We have to give the room up right away.” King Charles added: “Thank you so much for your brilliant performance.”