‘American Idol’ Reboot: Kanye West In, Simon Cowell Out!

Rapper Kanye West might replace one of the judges in the "American Idol" reboot. The judge to be replaced is none other than the brutally honest Simon Cowell. The speculation has come following the reports of Ryan Seacrest re-launching the show. 

According to the reports, Seacrest feels that Kanye West should join the rebooted "American Idol" series. The show ended in April 2016 with 15 seasons in a row. However, NBC is now planning to reboot the show. In doing so, as the latest updates revealed, the name of Kanye West is on the top of the judge's list rather than Simon Cowell.

A source interacted with Radar and confirmed to the network that the name of Kanye West was on the top of the list. However, the rapper was now in discussion with fellow music coach Jennifer Lopez relating to the position he was being offered.

"Kanye is at the very top of the wish list, not Simon Cowell," a source told the channel. "If Ryan hosting can help get them Kanye, that's a happy result for NBC. Kanye's weighing the options and is even grilling Jennifer Lopez on what's involved."

The source also stated that being a judge on "American Idol" was not an easy task for Kanye West. However, the offer was quite "hard to refuse." Recently, Jennifer Lopez was questioned about the reboot of "American Idol." The songstress was attending NBCU Summer Press Day in March at that time. She said that she had no idea about any reboot series yet.

While some sources have shown a positive response on the "American Idol" reboot production, there are insiders who have denied claims. Some of them have told TMZ that the reports of negotiation between Kanye West and "American Idol" reboot producers were untrue. As far as the association of the rapper with the show is concerned, it is to be noted that he was seen giving a surprise audition for the show in August 2015.