Katy Perry to Exit ‘American Idol’ After 7 Seasons: ‘I Want to Go and See the World’

The upcoming 22nd season of American Idol will mark Katy Perry’s last as a judge. The singer announced her exit from the hit singing competition series after seven seasons during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Monday night. When asked how long she planned to stay on the judging panel, Perry confirmed her decision to leave while hinting at the possibility of new music.

“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. “So I think this will probably be my last season for Idol.”

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The singer has served as a judge alongside Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan since ABC revived Idol in 2018.

“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,” she added before noting that Richie and Bryan did not yet know of her plans to leave. “They’ll find out tonight! “They know that I have some things planned for this year. It’s going to be a very exciting year — for all pop star girlies.”

“I love the show so much, but I want to go and see the world and maybe bring new music,” Perry added. “Maybe I’ll come back if they have me one day.”

Perry last released new music in 2020 with her album Smile, and spent most of the past two years performing during a residency at Las Vegas’ Resorts World. During an interview with Rolling Stone in 2022, the singer opened up about her songwriting process, saying she’s “never not” making music.

“I like to meditate before I write a song so that I can be open and clear and whatever needs to come through me and through that pen comes through me. Sometimes, I like to go on a real emotional, psychological journey when I write a record. I’m working through some of my emotions and maybe some of the issues that I need to work through,” she said. “Sometimes I’ll plug back into doing therapy so that I’m processing stuff and through my music, so there’s a real emotional, internal investigation that’s going on when I’m starting to write new music.”

Perry’s last season on American Idol will be Season 22, which premieres on Feb. 12 on ABC.

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