American Idol and ABC are Paying Katy Perry a HUGE Salary

katy perry ellen degeneres american idol rumors

TMZ reports that ABC struck a 25 million dollar deal with Katy Perry to judge American Idol.

Katy Perry is getting a staggering $25 MILLION to judge “American Idol” … this according to sources familiar with the negotiation.

Multiple sources tell us ABC was desperate to sign a name before the Upfronts last week, when honchos announced she was the lead judge. As one source put it, “Katy had all the leverage. If ABC ended up announcing the show without a judge, they’d be screwed.”

TMZ broke a story way back in 2012 that ‘A.I.’ was trying to get Katy as a judge but she rejected the network’s $20 mil offer.

As we reported, ABC tried to get Kelly Clarkson but at the last minute she jumped ship and went to NBC’s “The Voice.” NBC also snagged Jennifer Hudson.

We’re also told ABC is “on the verge” of signing the deal with Ryan Seacrest to host the show. Sources connected with the first run of ‘Idol’ tell us Ryan was making $15 mil a season at his high point. We’re told Jennifer Lopez was also raking in $15 mil a season. So Katy blew them both away.

These reports are conflicting: Either ABC is working on a shoestring budget, as TMZ previously reported, or they aren’t? Remember the days when it wasn’t a requirement to have a “superstar” sitting on a singing show judges panel? As romantic the notion is to fill the seats with newbies and record industry execs, casual fans are conditioned to expect expensive pop stars sitting on the panel.  There’s no putting that genie back in the bottle, apparently.

FYI: Adam Levine and Blake Shelton reportedly make between $13-$15 million a season.

About mj santilli 34873 Articles
Founder and editor of mjsbigblog.com, home of the awesomest fan community on the net. I love cheesy singing shows of all kinds, whether reality or scripted. I adore American Idol, but also love The Voice, Glee, X Factor and more!