With three weeks to go before the premiere of the new ABC singing competition Duets, Lionel Richie has bailed on the project.
The premiere is set for May 24 at 10 p.m. PST and will feature Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Nettles, Robin Thicke and Richie’s eleventh hour replacement John Legend.
Lionel cited scheduling conflicts for his decision to back away from the project. The 62-year-old entertainer has been on the comeback trail with the release of a new album Tuskegee featuring collaborative duets with some decidedly high-profile musicians.
Joining him on the album are Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Darius Rucker, Little Big Town, Kenny Chesney, Rascal Flatts, Jennifer Nettles, Tim McGraw, Shania Twain, Billy Currington, Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson and Jimmy Buffett.
Shortly after the shakeup Nettles tweeted, “We’d like to welcome @JohnLegend to Duets!”
Legend responded: “I’m thrilled to be part of Duets and I’m looking forward to finding an undiscovered gem out there. This is going to be a lot of fun.”
Check out more photos below:
Photos: Twitter