Don’t judge — American Idol knows what it’s doing!
Producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz sat down with The Hollywood Reporter this week to dish on the reboot that has many fans saying — “Huh? But why?” — and explained why execs wasted no time bringing the hit show back.
She also spoke on the insane paycheck Katy Perry is reported to be receiving as a judge — and explained why the pop star is totally worth it!
Video: Katy To Host 2017 MTV VMAs!
The CEO of FremantleMedia North America, which produces Idol, says the show’s production costs are on par with competing shows — even with Katy Kat’s reported $25 million salary.
In an interview published on Thursday, she explained:
“The show is not more expensive than its competitors in the genre. If other networks can make it work on similar properties, then there’s no reason why ABC couldn’t. This notion that the show [costs] a lot more than any other is completely untrue. We know that because we’ve made other shows in other genres. ABC wouldn’t order something that didn’t work for them financially.”
Showbiz is still a business, after all.
The 51-year-old added that she thinks the Swish Swish singer will also benefit from this new job during this transitional phase of her career, noting:
“Katy is in a transition in terms of her own career. It has been shown now what these platforms can do for artists. It has been beneficial to other people, whether it’s on Idol or The Voice. But I think she genuinely cares. She auditioned when she was a guest judge on Idol in 2010 and then on the [U.K.] X-Factor. She’s brilliant.”
Brilliant, indeed! We fondly remember Katy’s 2010 guest spot — specifically when she threatened to throw coke in Kara Dioguardi‘s face.
Related: Fox Is Salty About Losing Idol
The other judges have yet to be confirmed — though rumored stars include Chris Daughtry, Lionel Richie, and Charlie Puth — one name, however, was always in the cards to return: Ryan Seacrest!
Frot-Coutaz admitted producers “always” planned on locking down the OG host, despite his super busy sched. She explained:
“It was always going to happen. It’s hard for Ryan. He’s on the East Coast now and had to figure out how to make it work, but he’s the hardest-working man in show business, so there will be some flying back and forth. But, as I said, it was always going to happen. He’s the face of Idol.”
Eh, we think Simon Cowell‘s eye rolls are the face of Idol — but Ry Guy is a close second!
Related: Idol Alum Haley Reinhart Arrested For Battery!
As for why ABC felt like it was the right time to bring back Idol just a year after its cancellation on Fox, the exec explained:
“When Idol wrapped, we did extensive research. We found that we’d recruited new, much younger viewers. Do you wait five or six years, with the landscape continuing to evolve, and risk losing those followers? In thinking about doing the right thing for the brand and franchise, it felt to us that it was an unfinished story. Even though the show lived on Fox for 15 years, its audience is actually closer to that of ABC or CBS.”
We agree… if by “unfinished story” she means countless winners who have yet to launch legit music careers. LOLz!
Will YOU be tuning into the next chapter of American Idol when it returns?
[Image via FOX.]
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