‘American Idol’ Winner Abi Carter Thinks Lady Gaga Should Replace Katy Perry as a Judge

Abi Carter is still reeling from winning season 22 of American Idol, but that hasn’t kept her from thinking about who she wants to see replace Katy Perry as a judge next year.

“I think Lady Gaga would crush that role,” Carter, 21, exclusively told Us Weekly after celebrating her victory on Sunday, May 19. “Katy, of course — she's like a monument to the show. She left such a legacy. But I do feel like Lady Gaga would be so cool.”

Carter, who beat out fellow contestants Will Moseley and Jack Blocker on the finale, also shared that Meghan Trainor “would be really cool” as a full-time judge after the “All About That Bass” singer, 30, was one of the mentors this season.

“She's just the sweetest, too,” Carter said of Trainor. “With the mentoring and seeing her backstage, I remember the day that she performed. She had the flu, so she had a mask on. And her hair was blonde and blue, and I did not recognize her, and she was like, ‘Hey, queen.’ And I was like, ‘Hey.’ And it dawned on me, like, five seconds later. I was like, ‘Oh, my God, That’s Meghan Trainor.’”

While Carter noted “there's a lot of people” who would be good judges, she insisted, “Katy, of course, will never be able to be replaced.”

Sunday’s show served as Carter’s victory lap on the series in addition to marking Perry’s final episode as one of the three judges. Perry, 39, has worked alongside Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie for seven seasons, and her swansong was emotional for everyone on set.

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“Every time Katy cries, I cry. I am a contagious crier for sure,” Carter told Us of the night, which featured the contestants doing a medley of songs in Perry’s honor. “Honestly, [I'm] just so honored to even be in Katy’s last season, let alone, like, [winning] the show. It hasn't set in for me. To win Katy’s last season is just insane. What do you even say to that?”

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Carter gushed about the “Roar” singer, calling her a “wonderful” mentor all season. “All three of the judges have been so wonderful, and they kind of pushed me to step out of my box that I put myself in,” she recalled. “They pushed me to be better and greater and bigger, and ... to see them be emotional last night, it was like, ‘Woo!’”

Perry, for her part, documented her last finale episode via social media. She shared a video of herself throwing pizza into the audience mid-show, writing, “A pizza my heart will always be on the #idol stage.”

With reporting by Mandie DeCamp