Katy Perry set to exit ‘American Idol’: ‘I wanna go and see the world’

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Katy Perry has revealed that she’s about to say goodbye to American Idol.

The Roar singer has been a judge on the reality singing competition since its 2018 TV return. But during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Monday night, Perry told the late-night host she was leaving the show.

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“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 replied after Kimmel’s asked how long she planned to continue with the show. “So I think this will probably be my last season for Idol.”

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Perry, who has been part of the series 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 own beat, you know what I’m saying Jimmy?”

Kimmel followed up by asking what her fellow Idol judges thought of her decision to end her time on the show, with Perry shooting back, “Well, they’ll find out tonight!”

But the pop star said her fellow Idol judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie likely knew she was leaving after seeing that she was back in the recording studio.

“They figure I’ve been in the studio for a while so they figured something is coming,” she said. “I love the show so much but I wanna go and see the world and maybe bring new music.”

But Perry left the door open for her return to the singing competition that has launched the careers of Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Daughtry and more. “Maybe I’ll come back if they’ll have me one day!” she teased.

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Perry also confirmed her exit in a post to her Instagram, writing, “This is my last season on @americanidol.”

Last year, rumours swirled that Perry was looking to leave Idol being depicted as a “nasty judge.”

At one point, mid-season, one singer quit the show after she was “mom-shamed” by Perry for having three children.

“Katy feels like [the producers] threw her under the bus,” a source told the Daily Mail. “She feels like her comments could have been removed.”

“It was embarrassing to have that on TV, and it was hurtful,” contestant Sara Beth Liebe said after the moment went viral. “I think that women supporting and uplifting other women is so cool, and I think that mom-shaming is super lame, and I think that it’s hard enough to be a mom, and it’s hard enough to be a woman.”

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In the midst of the competition, Liebe abruptly quit the show telling the audience that she was going home to be with her kids.

“This opportunity is really rad, but this is actually gonna be my last performance,” Liebe said on stage. “My heart’s at home, so I’m gonna get home to my babies. They kinda need me.”

Perry, herself a mother of one, did try to get Liebe to stay, saying, “You’ve opened a door you never thought you would open … Do not give up.”

But on Reddit, viewers defended Perry saying that she was right about Liebe.

“The whole ‘mom-shaming’ thing was ridiculous. She rightly pointed out that you can’t ‘make it’ in the music industry unless you’re willing to hustle and massively compromise the time spent with family. Turned out her comments were 100% spot on and prescient,” one fan wrote.

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X: @markhdaniell

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