Who will replace Katy Perry on 'American Idol'? Here are some of the possible candidates

Katy Perry made her final appearance as a judge on "American Idol" during the Season 22 finale on May 19.

Perry, who, along with Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, has sat at the judges' table since the reality singing competition relaunched on ABC in 2018 after 15 seasons on Fox, announced in February that she would leave the show after the just-concluded season.

Now that Abi Carter has been crowned the season's winner and Perry has made her exit, fans are wondering who will replace the "Roar" singer at the judges' table.

Richie has said he'd love to see original "American Idol" champ Kelly Clarksonreturn to the show as a judge. Others, including Season Three "Idol" winner Fantasia Barrino and country music star Jelly Roll, have expressed interest in the job.

So, who will replace Perry on "Idol"? Here’s an early look at a few potential candidates.

Kelly Clarkson

Richie opened up to "Entertainment Tonight" in April about his dream of seeing original “American Idol” winner Kelly Clarkson return to the show as Perry's replacement.

“Finding someone to replace Katy with a sense of humor, it’s gotta be fun but no ego because we’re gonna insult each other so much,” he said.

Richie told "ET" that he and Clarkson, who previously served as a coach on Seasons 14-21 and Season 23 of “The Voice,” have been pals for "a long time.”

“Kelly, if you don’t have anything else to do, I’d like to drop that out there. Big fan!” he added.

Fantasia Barrino

Clarkson isn't the only "Idol" champ whose name has been bandied about as a possible replacement for Perry.

Season Three winner Fantasia Barrino, who made a special appearance during last weekend's "Idol" finale, previously told "ET" that she would be thrilled to take Perry's place.

“I’m gonna be honest, I would love to,” Barrino said.

The "Color Purple" star said she knew the show's contestants needed help with all aspects of their music careers. “I think that those kids, when they’re coming into the game, I think that they need somebody to come in and not only show them how to sing a song, but how to handle the business because it’s a lot.

"Just having somebody to say, ‘Hey, make sure you have this, make sure you have that. OK, sing this song, sing that song.' Getting to know them, their upbringing, what makes you want to sing, why do you love this, why do you want this?" she continued.

"So I would love to do it. I would be up for it," she added.

Jelly Roll

Katy Perry has actually weighed in on who should replace her at the judges' table. Her vote? It goes to Jelly Roll.

“I gotta say Jelly Roll was crazy when he came on the show,” Perry told E! News in April. “I was convinced at anything he said. He could run for president, he could be my pastor, I might go back to church for him. He could sell me anything.”

“So I love him,” she said.

The "Firework" singer added that she would like her replacement to be an honest person. “I want a truth-teller,” she said. “I want someone that is not afraid to tell the truth in a graceful way.”

While speaking to K-FROG's "Kelli & Guy," Jelly Roll responded enthusiastically when asked if he'd ever consider" Perry's vote for him as the next "Idol" judge.

“Of course. ... Consider? I’ve accepted the job and they haven’t offered it," he joked.

The "Save Me" singer also sang Perry's praises.

“How cool is Katy, though? When we were talking backstage the other day, she tells me this, just me and her — and my wife of course, everybody’s watching — she says, ‘I’m telling you, you need to replace me,'" he said.

"I always love people that are the same way publicly they are privately, you know what I mean? Because some people will tell you how great you are privately, but then won’t post your album, you know what I'm saying? But for her then immediately, first interview she gets asked, brings me up, I’m like, ‘I love you, Katy!’” he added.

Meghan Trainor

Perry's fellow judge Luke Bryan and "Idol" emcee Ryan Seacrest both agreed that Meghan Trainor would make a good contender to take Perry's place when "Entertainment Tonight" suggested the idea to the duo after the April 22 episode of "Idol," which featured Trainor as a guest coach.

"I think Meghan's always been real fun. You know, that's kind of been her brand, to have fun," said Bryan. "(She's) real witty, so certainly."

Seacrest called Trainor a "super talent" and mentioned her lively personality: "She's got a great sense of humor. She's fun and she's spontaneous."

Bryan added that he had at least “10 names” in his mind for potential "Idol" judges, but he wasn’t ready to share.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com