Katy Perry teases that she’s leaving the American Idol judges panel “for now”
Katy Perry shared her thoughts on leaving American Idol after 7 years as a judge when she sat down with her fellow judges Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan and host Ryan Seacrest for an interview with GMA’s Will Reeve.
While Katy has announced she’s leaving, she’s been cagy about it. The pop singer remarked “For now…” after Reeve mentioned her recent announcement. It’s like she hasn’t quite made up her mind whether she wants to go. Or maybe the announcement is a negotiating tactic to get more money out of Disney/ABC.
“American Idol has healed my heart,” Katy told GMA. “It’s been incredible to be on this journey with (fellow judges) and I feel so connected to America that I want to go out there again and sing and play music and hold their hands and…bring my daughter and show her and all that stuff…” Katy is mom to 3-year-old Daisy Dove with actor Orlando Bloom.
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“Keep my seat warm”
As far as who Katy hopes will take her seat, she joked, “Just someone that can put up with Luke and Lionel.” Lionel added, “We’ll hold the spot.” Katy responded “Keep my seat warm.”
It hardly sounds like she plans to stay away. Recently, Luke said that the cast renegotiates a new contract every year, which is why they don’t announce their return at the end of the season. Luke more or less said that returning to the show hinges on whether he can negotiate a satisfactory contract. It’s why if ABC really, really, REALLY wanted Katy to stay, they could probably make it happen with a few more dineros.
If Katy ends up coming back next year, would it be that much of a surprise? Arguably not. Also, if she does leave, she might only be gone a season or two. Stay tuned.
“It’s fun to watch them blossom and come to life in front of our eyes”
Elsewhere in the interview, Ryan, the only original cast member, talked about how the show “evolved so drastically into this very positive force for contestants,” He added, “That to me is something you don’t always see at the beginning.”
“It’s fun to watch them blossom and come to life in front of our eyes,” Luke said of the contestants. “They automatically become my kids,” said Lionel.
Watch the interview below. American Idol reveals its Top 20 on Sunday April 14 in a 3 hour episode beginning at 8 pm ET/PT on ABC.
