Katy Perry all set to exit ‘American Idol’, says, “…this will probably be my last season”

Washington [US]: Singer-songwriter and TV personality Katy Perry has revealed that the upcoming 22nd season of ‘American Idol’ will be her last, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

On the latest episode of the American late-night political satire talk show ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’, Perry was asked directly by host Jimmy Kimmel how long she planned to stay on ‘Idol’, where she has served as a judge with Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan since the show was relaunched by ABC in 2018.

“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. It’s a big deal for people all over the world, especially my Brazilian fans,” Perry said in response to Kimmel’s question, before adding, “So I think this will probably be my last season for Idol.”

Later, Perry confirmed that the upcoming season of Idol will be her last on her Instagram.

Simon Fuller created the American singing competition television series ‘American Idol’, which was produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment and distributed by Fremantle. It ran on Fox for 15 seasons, from June 11, 2002 until April 7, 2016. It was on hiatus for two years until March 11, 2018, when the series was revived on ABC.

Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell were the original judges for seasons one through eight. For the past three seasons on Fox, the judging panel included singers Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez, and Harry Connick Jr. Season sixteen included three new judges, Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan. The show has been presented by radio celebrity Ryan Seacrest throughout its duration, with the exception of the first season, when comedian Brian Dunkleman joined Seacrest as a co-host.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, following a few gasps from the audience, Perry, who has been a judge on the long-running show for seven seasons, continued, “I love Idol so much. It’s connected me with the heart of America. But I need to feel that pulse of my beat,” Perry added, vaguely hinting that perhaps she has new music coming out soon and possibly a world tour, too.

Kimmel then asked Perry what her fellow Idol judges thought of her choice to leave the program, and she said, “Well, they’ll find out tonight!,” as per The Hollywood Reporter.