American Idol's Top 5 Most Disastrous Judges, According to Reddit

For over 20 years, American Idol has entertained its audiences, bringing many unforgettable singers and celebrity judges to the spotlight. In fact, the judges have arguably played a central role in the show, especially in recent seasons, as many fans actually continue to follow the competition to see the judges' reaction to the new performances.

Unfortunately, not all the judges proved to be competent enough for their roles, outraging viewers with their weird or disrespectful antics. Based on fans' opinions of Reddit, we've compiled a list of the most disappointing judges on American Idol.

5. Katy Perry

Perry has caused a lot of controversy in the show's current Season 21. For one, she engaged in mom-shaming behavior, making inappropriate comments about a contestant who had three children in their 20s. The star also managed to gaslight some of the singers, making them believe they hadn't passed the competition, even though they actually did.

4. Lionel Richie

Lionel Richie is a true legend, so there is no doubt that he knows more about music than anyone else. However, his problem is that he is too soft on the contestants, and people criticize him for giving the singers false hope by not judging them harshly.

'He doesn't offer much as a judge in really any type of way but he's inoffensive and a great singer,' a Redditor pointed out, summarizing fans' opinion of Richie.

3. Nicki Minaj

As much as we love the Queen of Rap, she failed to be a meaningful judge on American Idol. Her critiques were quite constructive sometimes, but much of Minaj's airtime was dedicated to her conflict with co-judge Mariah Carey, and fans did not like that.

2. Mariah Carey

Of course, Mariah Carey is one of the top pop divas out there, and she totally deserved to be a judge on American Idol. However, her judging strategies were not very thought-out and the beef with Nicki Minaj made that whole judging panel unbearable.

'I couldn't believe they scored somebody as big as Mariah Carey as a judge and then she flopped big time,' a Redditor said, and that perfectly describes the issues fans have with the singer.

1. Ellen Degeneres

'Ellen didn't make any sense why she was chosen to be a judge or why she decided to go for a show,' a fan commented on Reddit. Indeed, as many noted, Degeneres failed to provide adequate commentary to the contestants throughout the season, so she was completely useless as a judge.

The next episode of American Idol will be aired on April 30 at 8 p.m. EST.

Source: Reddit.