Former American Idol judge Jennifer Lopez said that the time isn’t right for her to replace Katy Perry on the judging panel for season 23, but she’d be open to returning in the future. Katy exited after the American Idol season 22 finale, during which Abi Carter was crowned the winner.

American Idol's Katy Perry smiles next to images of Jennifer Lopez looking serious and Mariah Carey smiling, with everyone surrounded by fire.

She’s been a judge alongside Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan for seven seasons. Jennifer previously served as a judge during American Idol seasons 10, 11, 13, 14, and 15 (the final FOX season). She helped discover winners Scotty McCreery, Phillip Phillips, Caleb Johnson, Nick Fradiani, and Trent Harmon.

“Not this year. Maybe next year.”

In an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, shared via YouTube, Jennifer revealed that she doesn’t have the time to return for American Idol season 23.

Jennifer explained that she’s going on tour right now, and she has another film that she’s doing, so she’s busy. Jennifer added, “Not this year. Maybe next year.” She said, “I don’t know ..I really feel like I did it, and it was a great time in my life.” Jennifer shared that American Idol was her first job when she went back to work after she had her babies, who were 3 years old when she appeared on the show, and they’re now 16 years old.

It would be thrilling to see Jennifer return to American Idol. She was honest and fair, and she truly cared about the contestants. She would most likely get along with Lionel and Luke, and they’d be fun to watch. It would also be exciting to see original American Idol judge Simon Cowell return to the panel.

Katy, Lionel, and Luke are great judges, but they’re often criticized for not being harsh enough. Simon would definitely give the ABC revival a wake-up call, but his harsh criticism might be too much for this kinder and gentler version of American Idol.

Jennifer would be the perfect replacement for Katy on American Idol. It’s a shame that she’s pretty much confirmed that she won’t be returning to the show as a judge because she would’ve been ideal. Not only is she outspoken and entertaining, but she’s already done the job well in the past.

Katy has hinted that her American Idol exit might not be permanent, so Jennifer might not get the chance to take her place the following year if Katy decides to come back.

Katy is truly irreplaceable, so whoever takes her seat at the American Idol judging table is going to have some very big shoes to fill. Many celebrities have been mentioned as potential replacements for her, including Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Meghan Trainor, Jelly Roll, Jon Bon Jovi, Fantasia Barrino, and Kelly Clarkson.

While Jennifer was a fan-favorite choice to be a judge, it seems as though she doesn’t have the time to come back to the show right now. It’s going to be very exciting to see who takes Katy’s place in American Idol season 23.