AMERICAN Idol finalist Constantine Maroulis has revealed his top picks on who would be best to join the judge's table on the hit competition show.
Fans have called for new judges to replace Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan, especially the Teenage Dream songstress for her "mean" comments and "cruel" behavior.
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Constantine, 47, rose to fame after making it to the top six on the fourth season of American Idol.
At that time, Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell were the judges and, at its peak, the show drew in over 30 million viewers.
"I've loved all of [the producers'] efforts with the judges.
"I think, you know, it would be fun to see Adam Lambert, Post Malone, The Weeknd," Constantine told The U.S. Sun at NYC Second Chance Rescue's 3rd Annual Rescue Ball on April 27.
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"You know, Taylor [Swift]. But, it's like a big commitment and you're making records and you're touring, for them."
He also added that, separately, the reality TV show should "mix in some of the old idols" and "people that are from different worlds."
"So you can have, like, Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood and me," Constantine said.
"I hope they have me back on to mentor again. I mentored in the last season at Fox- it's been a few years now."
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Constantine boasted that he was the only American Idol contestant to be Tony nominated.
He received a nomination in 2009 for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical for his role in Rock of Ages.
The singer turned actor is now gearing up for his new musical, Rock & Roll Man, debuting this June, and will soon be releasing his new pop rock single, Daydream.
JUDGING THE JUDGES
Despite the backlash the season 21 judges have been receiving, Constantine had nothing but nice things to say.
"[Katy's] wonderful. She's a dream girl. I mean, she basically is one of the biggest pop stars ever," he gushed.
"Her number ones and her records tell you that."
As for Lionel, the Brooklyn native called him "amazing."
"He's sort of like the epitome of that show...He's maintained relevance for 50 years," Constantine told The U.S. Sun.
Lastly, the Rock of Ages star praised Ryan Seacrest, who has been hosting the series since the beginning.
In February, Ryan announced he was leaving Live with Kelly and Ryan - now named Live with Kelly and Mark - to focus more on Idol.
"[Ryan's] got a lot of stuff going on. And I think, you know, he's worked so hard, he should enjoy his time," Constantine weighed in.
"I got to know him quite well. He's got a great family and I wish him all the best."
'STILL RELEVANT'
Now in its 21st season, American Idol has undergone major changes over the years- a big one being losing millions of viewers.
Today, the show averages six to eight million viewers per episode, which is a drastic change from when it had 30 million in 2005.
Constantine shared: "It's still here. It's still relevant. It's not 30 million people a night watching it anymore, but that will never happen again... It's really difficult to stay on top for that long, you know.
"The Voice happens, then all the other shows, then streaming, and now there's a million shows and our attention span has just shrunk.
"But they've done a great job keeping the brand."
American Idol is currently down to the top 12. New episodes air on Sundays and Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
GIVING BACK
The U.S. Sun caught up with the Idol OG who made a special appearance at Second Chance Rescue's Rescue Ball at The Pierre Hotel in New York City to help raise funds to rescue injured and neglected dogs and cats.
Constantine explained the importance of supporting the nonprofit.
He shared: "Animals have always been a huge part of my life, particularly dogs. Always grew up with dogs, always had rescues in my family- one after the other.
"I currently have a rescue- she's now about 8 years old. She's like my second daughter. She means the world to me and I feel quite honestly like they rescue us as well."
He added: "Lisa [Blanco], this is her foundation. She was always a supporter of mine from the American Idol days to Broadway and reached out to see if I would be interested in supporting her event and of course it worked out perfectly and of course I wanted to be a part of it."
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