Katy Perry Announces She’s Leaving ‘American Idol,’ Hasn’t Told Her Fellow Judges: “They’ll Find Out Tonight”
Katy Perry made the unexpected announcement on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last night that season 22 of American Idol will be her last.
“This fall, in September, I’m going to be doing this huge music festival in Brazil called Rock in Rio—it’s really exciting,” the musician began during her convo with the late-night television host. “I think this will probably be my last show, my last season for Idol. I mean, I love Idol so much. It’s connected me with the heart of America, but I need to feel that pulse to my own beat.”
Jimmy then asked what fellow judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie had to say about her departure, to which Katy replied, “Well, they’ll find out tonight” before adding, “Well, they know that I have some things planned for this year. It’s going to be a very exciting year, Jimmy, for all pop star girlies. Let’s just say I’m creating space for my new wingspan.”
“I love them so much,” Katy added of the musicians. “They know, they know, they figured. I’ve been in the studio for a while...I love the show so much but I wanna see the world and maybe bring new music!”
As a reminder, Katy faced some criticism last year on American Idol after she was accused of “mom-shaming” a contestant and was reportedly considering quitting at the time. Per a source who spoke with the Daily Mail, “Katy feels like [the producers] threw her under the bus. She feels like her comments could have been removed. Katy became aware of the harsh criticism. Getting booed really upset her. She was trying to stay in her lane, do her job and go home.”
The source added that Katy (who makes a reported $25 million per season) “has accomplished so much in her career and is now being looked at as a nasty reality show judge. Katy’s wanted out for some time now, but this season was way too much for her to handle.”
“[Katy’s decision to quit] is not a money thing,” the insider added. “For her, it is starting to be more of a legacy issue. She does not want her career defined by a talent competition show where she isn’t even performing.”
It’s unclear whether any of this ^^ factored into Katy’s decision to leave the show after season 22.
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