MTV may need to start shopping for a trucker hat that won’t mess with Justin Bieber’s hair, because multiple industry insiders tell Vulture that the tween singer has been all but officially tapped as the host of a revival of Ashton Kutcher’s Punk’d for the network, assuming all details can be worked out. Kutcher isn’t entirely relinquishing the celebrity practical-joke franchise he birthed back in 2003: He’ll remain as an executive producer of the new series via his Katalyst Entertainment. But if a deal can be worked out, the on-air baby face of the new show will be none other than Biebs. If Kutcher’s past history with Punk’d is any indication, Bieber will likely appear in a few early episodes as a participant in the pranks, then gradually revert to mostly introducing segments. While Kutcher was famous during the original Punk’d era (he was starring on That 70s Show), the actor was nowhere near as famous (or busy) as Bieber, giving him more time to pull punks on his peers.
Kutcher announced he was retiring Punk’d back in 2007, but even at the time of the show’s demise, sources at MTV indicated the network hoped to one day revive the brand. The thinking was that the show, whose pranks had grown lamer as the years wore on (the final season included punks on Jewel and Freddy Rodriguez), needed time to rest. Given how quickly pop culture runs through celeb cycles these days, the move may have worked: We now have a whole new class of celebs who — like Bieber himself — weren’t even on our radar when Punk’d exited three years ago. So get ready Bristol Palin, Jon Hamm, Snooki, and the entire cast of Glee: You’re probably about to get Bieber’ed!
