American Idol’s forgotten past judges including Ellen DeGeneres & Nicki Minaj as fans call for Katy Perry to be fired

KATY Perry could soon be the one that got away from American Idol.

If fans have their say, the singer will join a long list of discarded and forgotten judges.

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With the latest season of American Idol wrapping up Sunday, fans are already looking forward to Season 22 next year.

Viewers have been adamant about the showrunners improving the reality singing competition and have aired their criticism over social media.

The most common desire?

That the show bring in new judges to replace the current ones: Katy Perry, 38, Lionel Richie, 73, and Luke Bryan, 46.

“New judges please,” one fan demanded.

Seconding the commenter, one person added: “Of course, I just thought it was so refreshing to have Alanis [Morissette] and Ed [Sheeran] on last week.

“I just feel like the 3 we have now have said all they are going to say… gets repetitive.”

Another said: “Make Alanis a permanent judge. She radiates joy and gives honest sensible feedback.”

“They never say anything critical like Simon. Always so positive it’s not its not realistic,” another said, referring to legendary harsh judge Simon Cowell.

See if you remember some of these forgotten judges.

ED SHEERAN AND ALANIS MORISSETTE

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Alanis filled in for Katy while the singer was performing at the coronation of King Charles III.

Idol viewers praised her, saying she was a “breath of fresh air” for the show.

Meanwhile, Ed sat in for Lionel, who was also overseas at the new king’s big event.

Both substitutes charmed contestants and the audience, and many people on Twitter begged producers to kick Katy to the curb.

“Best judges! @lukebryan @edsheeran @Alanis,” one person tweeted. “American Idol viewers are lucky today.”

One person called Alanis a “great permanent choice.”

Another complimented: “Ed Sheeran seems to be having fun, and he seems like a really pleasant guy.”

ELLEN DEGENERES

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Comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres spent one disastrous season behind the judge’s table in 2010.

She replaced Paula Abdul for the show’s ninth season, but later admitted to hating her experience.

“That’s one of the worst decisions I’ve made,” Ellen confessed years later on The Howard Stern Show.

The normally funny lady said she envisioned having a good time as a judge, but then couldn’t bring herself to slam weak contestants.

“As a fan of the shows, it doesn’t matter that I sing or I know anything about pitch … I’m like everybody else at home, so I thought I’m gonna represent those people at home that have opinions,” she said.

“But then I just thought … I can’t break this person’s heart. Let somebody else do that.”

NICKI MINAJ

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Nicki Minaj joined the crew for Season 12.

She was probably best remembered for giving hopefuls her own special nicknames, which she dubbed “Nicki Names.”

Among the more popular ones were monikers such as Finger Lickin’ Good, Secret Squirrel, and Joe Jumanji.

The singer explained that the cute nicknames were an attempt to better remember the competitors’ names.

She only lasted one season.

KEITH URBAN

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Country superstar Keith Urban was a judge on the show from seasons 12 to 15 – and he recently revealed he’s coming back for more.

The 55-year-old will mentor the top three remaining current contestants before one of them is crowned the winner Sunday night.

“Once an IDOL judge, now our FINALE guest mentor! Welcome back,” a post on American Idol’s instagram said of Keith.

The picture of Keith let everyone know that he will not only be a mentor but a performer as well.

It is not clear what Keith will be singing, but fans are excited.

STEVEN TYLER

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Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler had a brief, but memorable, stint on Idol.

He joined the judging panel for Season 10, famously replacing Simon Cowell after his nine-season run.

Years before he would take his place on the panel, Steven shocked viewers by performing undercover in drag for an audition.

Steven put on a dress, a blond wig, and bright red lipstick for his big break.

But his famous face instantly gave him away.

Going under the moniker Pepper LaBeija, the Dream On singer was dreaming if he thought he could pull a fast one over the judges.

Although he never actually sang anything, the rocker did manage to squeeze one of his fake breasts to make it honk.

As the judges roared with laughter, Pepper ripped off his wig and mooned the judges.

JENNIFER LOPEZ

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Jenny from the Block joined Steven for Season 10, staying for back-to-back seasons.

After taking one year off, she returned for three more seasons.

Jennifer was later criticized by fans who claimed she copied Idol’s format for her own reality competition show, World of Dance.

Season 4 of the show brought with it some big changes, including making round one qualifiers perform in front of the superstar.

Viewers hated the change, with many saying it felt like a completely different show all together.

“So after several seasons, #WorldOfDance decided it would become American Idols that Think They Can Dance?” one person blasted on Twitter. “No to this ‘new’ format that’s been done to death.”

MARIAH CAREY

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Mariah Carey was another former judge who would go on to slam the show.

The Dreamlover singer found the show to be a nightmare, leaving after just one season, for which she was rumored to have been paid $18 million.

When asked years later if she would ever envision a return engagement, she scoffed: “Hell no.”

“That was the worst experience of my life,” she told Australian radio hosts Kyle and Jackie O. “I’m not going to get into what it was. Let’s just say I don’t think they had any intentions for us having a good experience through that show.”

Mariah bolted from the show to undertake a world tour following the success of her single Beautiful.

HARRY CONNICK JR.

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Throughout his three year stint Harry Connick Jr. quickly gained recognition as the toughest Idol judge since Simon Cowell.

Fans recently begged for his return.

In an online thread, followers claimed American Idol needed the popular pianist because “he offers such insightful feedback.”

One fan said: “Probably the best judge of Idol! Harry needs to replace Luke!”

Another fan added: “This should be Luke’s last season! He’s so boring! Then Harry should fill in that role!”

A third fan agreed, saying, “Loved Harry when he was the judge! You’re right! He is the best judge of all time!”

The When Harry Met Sally hitmaker revisited the talent competition show in 2021 after his departure in 2016.

NEIL PATRICK HARRIS

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Neil Patrick Harris had a memorable run-in with Simon Cowell while appearing as a celebrity guest judge in Dallas for Season 9.

Neil and Simon shared some tense moments following Kimberly Carver’s audition.

“I don’t see anything current, anything interesting, anything interesting in you as a performer, Simon said.

Neil disagreed: “I thought it was, really, quite great.”

NPH voted yes, Simon said no, but eventually Kimberly got the three votes she needed to continue on.

“Simon hated me!” she said after her audition.

“But they totally overrode him and thank God for Neil Patrick Harris. I’m going to have to go back and watch ‘Doogie Howser’ again!”

QUENTIN TARANTINO

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Perhaps the most shocking celebrity judge was Pulp Fiction writer and director Quentin Tarantino.

The indy film legend served as a judge in a Season 3 episode, in which the contestants sang songs from movie soundtracks.

Proving he has an eye for talent, Quentin called auditioner Adam Lambert a “real rock star.”

Adam sang Born to Be Wild from Easy Rider, putting his own rock spin on the classic.

He would go on to finish as the runner-up that season, before enjoying massive success.

Since 2009, Adam has sold over 3 million albums and 5 million singles worldwide.