Nikki Sixx To Join ‘American Idol’ Reboot As A Judge? What A Motley Crew

Nikki Sixx is reportedly in serious talks for a spot on the judges’ panel for ABC’s upcoming American Idol reboot. If he signs on to the show, the Motley Crue co-founder and bassist would join the motliest of Idol crews yet, with pop superstar Katy Perry and R&B legend Lionel Richie as the other two judges eyed by producers of the rebooted Fox singing competition. According to TMZ, Sixx will get slightly less than Richie’s reported salary of $3 to $5 million. Perry has already inked a deal for an unheard of $25 million.

Motley Crue fans already have strong opinions on Nikki Sixx joining American Idol, and not all of them are positive. But the veteran rock star, who co-wrote some of Motley Crue’s biggest songs, including “Home Sweet Home,” “Dr. Feelgood,” and “Girls, Girls, Girls,” has been a staunch defender of the long-running reality TV competition. On his syndicated radio show Sixx Sense, Nikki previously defended Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler’s controversial decision to join the Idol panel back in 2011. While rockers like Slash and Kid Rock slammed Tyler’s decision to judge the TV talent competition, Sixx said he really understood why the Aerosmith singer did it, despite the fact that the show was considered “cheesy.”

“The whole point of Steven Tyler being on American Idol is to not make it cheesy, it’s to give it a real artist on there,” Nikki said, according to Blabbermouth.net.

Sixx went on to say that someone like Tyler, one of the greatest rock frontmen of all time who knows how to dress, how to design sets, and how to write songs, was the perfect person to be a judge on the show.

“When I talked to Steven about that, we were talking about how Steven has the ability to find the next Jimi Hendrix, to find the next Janis Joplin, to find the next Kid Rock,” Nikki said.

“This is a positive thing for music, this is a pipeline that we usually don’t have…Steven’s doing a really forward-thinking, cool thing.”

In a separate interview about his Sixx Sense radio show with Tyler, Nikki said he planned to lead by example.

“The audience is dying for new rock stars and Steven and I are using our new positions in the media to introduce the future of the music industry,” Nikki said.

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Given Nikki Sixx’s past remarks about what the future of rock music and what it means to be an Idol judge, it’s no surprise that he’s considering a turn on the upcoming ABC reality show. And he wouldn’t be the first Motley Crue member to hit the reality TV trail.

Nikki’s Motley Crue bandmate Tommy Lee has already completed a stint as a reality TV judge. Lee critiqued rock star wannabes alongside Dave Navarro, Jason Newsted, Gilby Clarke, and legendary rock producer Butch Walker on the short-lived reality show Rock Star: Supernova. Lee also starred in his own reality show, Tommy Lee Goes to College.

And Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil is a reality TV veteran. In 2003, Neil appeared on the first season of VH1’s Surreal Life with co-stars that included Corey Feldman and MC Hammer, then went on to compete on ABC’s Skating With the Stars and the last edition of Celebrity Apprentice hosted by Donald Trump before he became president.

For more on Nikki Sixx and his wild life, check out the video below.

[Featured Image by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]