ET chatted with the season three ‘Idol’ winner about the signing competition’s revival.
Fantasia Barrino is getting “honest” about the forthcoming reboot of American Idol.
“I hope that it does really [well],” the American Idol winner told ET on Tuesday. “It had a long run, that’s a blessing in itself.”
The 33-year-old singer won season three of the singing competition, which originally aired on Fox from 2002 to 2016.
After the epic Idol finale, rumors of a potential revival began swirling, and in May, Katy Perry confirmed that she would be one of the show's new judges. Two months later, Ryan Seacrest revealed that he would be returning to host the show, while Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan were announced as judges last month.
Still, Barrino doesn’t think the reboot can have the same impact as its predecessor without three major stars: Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson.
“The only way that I feel that it can come back as strong as it was is if they bring back the original group [of judges],” she said.
Even without the original judging trio, Barrino ultimately hopes that the revival resonates with viewers.
“But it ran its course,” she pointed out before reiterating that it’s a “blessing” that the show’s initial installment aired for 15 seasons.
The North Carolina native isn’t alone in her Idol opinions. Aside from fans expressing similar feelings about the reboot, Rihanna said she would only join the show as a judge if she was "bored," and Fox TV chairman Dana Walden criticized Idol producer FremantleMedia for rushing the show back into production.
American Idol is slated to premiere on ABC in 2018.
