Charlie Puth Opens Up On Why He Won't Be an 'American Idol' Judge: 'Things in My Life Got Crazy' (Exclusive)

It looks like Charlie Puth won't be sitting at the American Idol judges table any time soon. 

With the reality singing competition soon returning to TV, Puth had been at the center of some speculation as a likely front-runner. However, after production kicked off on the new season, with Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie behind the iconic table, the "Attention" singer spoke with ET about why he passed on the opportunity.

Puth recently opened up to ET's Nischelle Turner, getting candid about being in talks with ABC to join the rebooted reality series and explaining why he passed on the opportunity.

"The schedule got too overwhelming," Puth admitted. "It’s nothing to do with [the network]... ABC is wonderful and I told them I would love to be in business with them in the future."

According to the 25-year-old musician, he was in talks with the show some time ago, but then "things in my life got crazy," including him getting sick last year and having to cancel the remaining dates on his Don't Talk Tour.

However, he says that the stars Idol now has at the helm -- Perry, Richie and Bryan, plus original host Ryan Seacrest  -- are good to go.

"I can’t wait to watch it," Puth said. "It's a huge honor that they asked me."

"The fact that they would even ask me to be a part of it is just beyond flattering because it’s a show I grew up watching," he added, "and I know it’s going to be amazing without me."

WATCH: Charlie Puth Reveals the Crazy Story Behind His Selena Gomez Collaboration, 'We Don't Talk Anymore'

Recently, Puth's friend Selena Gomez -- who lent her vocals to his hit 2016 single "We Don't Talk Anymore" -- underwent a kidney transplant as part of her battle with lupus, and the singer said he reached out to her via Instagram to see how she was feeling following the operation.

"I was just like, 'Hey, hope you're well,' and she said, 'Yeah, I am, thanks,'" Puth recalled. "She's awesome."

WATCH: Charlie Puth Praises Selena Gomez for Taking a Break: 'It's Important to Feel Like a Human'

Puth also opened up about how "We Don't Talk Anymore" was actually inspired by Gomez's ex-boyfriend, Justin Bieber -- specifically his single "Company."

"The first time I heard 'Company'… I was so inspired just by the vibe of it that I think that’s what brought me to 'We Don't Talk Anymore,'" Puth shared. "I’m not saying that anything is musically the same in those two songs, it’s just I heard that and [was] like, 'Wow. That’s a cool song. I wanna make a cool song.'"

Puth recently released his new single, "How Long," off his sophomore album, Voice Notes, which comes out Jan. 19, 2018.

The New 'American Idol' Judges Explain How This Version Will Be Different From the Original (Exclusive)

This video is unavailable because we were unable to load a message from our sponsors.

If you are using ad-blocking software, please disable it and reload the page.

Up Next