Katy Perry is taking advice from one former American Idol winner — making a wish, taking a chance, making a change, and breaking away from the show. The pop star told Jimmy Kimmel that she’s “probably†leaving the Idol judges table after this upcoming season so she can focus on her pop career again. (Kind of funny how those two things can’t coexist, but we digress.) “I feel like I need to go out and find that pulse to my own beat, you know what I’m saying, Jimmy?†said Perry, grooving in her chair. She’ll be the first judge to leave ABC’s Idol revival, after the lineup of her, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie stayed together for seven seasons. (Sorry to Bryan and Richie, who had to find out this news on TV.)
When Richie appeared on Kimmel just a few days later, he said that he wasn’t mad that Perry didn’t tell him or Bryan ahead of time, but joked, “It just made me run off the road when I first heard about it. My phone blew up.†He went on to say that despite not knowing about Perry’s departure, it makes sense, adding, “You have to take some time and actually be an artist.†As for who might be in the running to replace her at the judge’s table, Richie didn’t offer up any intel. “They’re keeping tight-lipped, because I don’t even know. But it’s gonna be really interesting,†he said.
Perry went on to manifest a big year “for all pop-star girlies,†throwing her wig in the ring with Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa, Lady Gaga, and whoever else comes out of the woodwork in the next ten months. While she released the album Smile in 2020, Perry hasn’t toured since she joined Idol in 2018, though she did have a Vegas residency during that time. “I’m creating space for my new wingspan,†Perry added. Spread those wings and (re-)learn how to fly, girl!
This story has been updated.