Katy Perry is officially leaving the building. The long-time American Idol judge announced she’s exiting after the current season. The singer has been on the show for seven seasons.
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Perry announced the departure on Jimmy Kimmel Live, saying she wants to pursue new opportunities. In particular, Perry feels a calling for performing again and believes she wouldn’t have time for Idol with her busy schedule.
Well, you know, this fall, this September, I’m going to be doing this huge music festival in Brazil called Rock in Rio. It’s really exciting,” she shared. “It’s a big deal for people all over the world, especially my Brazilian fans.”
“I think this will probably be my last show, my last season for Idol,” Perry continued dropping the bombshell. The singer wants to chart her own path despite her love for helping aspiring musicians realize their talents. “I love Idol so much. It’s connected me with the heart of America, but I feel like I need to go out and feel that pulse to my own beat.”
Perry co-stars with Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie on the show. Their chemistry has been a crucial focus of the show since its revamp, proving to be successful for the past seven seasons. Perry confessed that she hadn’t told them prior to making the announcement to fans. However, she planned to have those conversations afterward.
Still, Perry figured that her fellow judges knew her time on the show was probably limited. Perry has been making some new career moves and spending more time in the studio.
She said, “They know I have some things planned for this year… I’m creating space for my new wingspan. They figured, I’ve been in the studio for a while. So they figured something is up.”
Fans React to Katy Perry’s ‘American Idol’ Exit, Speculate World Tour
Perry isn’t completely closing the door on returning to the show. However, fans shouldn’t hold out hope for any returns any time soon. She said, “Maybe I’ll come back if they’ll have me one day!”
On Instagram, fans reacted to the news that Perry was leaving American Idol. One person wrote, “LAST SEASON ON AMERICAN IDOL OUUUUUU WE UP.” Another user wrote, “WORLD TOUR INCOMING KATY OMG.” That sentiment was sprinkled all throughout the internet.
Another fan was excited for her tenure to come to a close. They wrote, “Thanks god for the end of american idol journey.” The fan continued pointing out that the show stopped Perry from doing a world tour, “It’s actually 30m for the last 2 seasons, she could do billions with a world tour if she release something to her fans first of all.”
Another wrote, “The truth: you are our queen, the best.”
[Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images]
