- By Andre Roden-Paul
- BBC News
Katy Perry has announced that she is leaving American Idol after seven seasons as a judge on the talent show.
Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday night, the 39-year-old singer said: “This will probably be my last show, my last season of Idol.”
Explaining his decision, he said he wanted to “go see the world” and hinted at releasing new music.
Perry has been hosting the ABC show since 2018.
The Roar singer made the announcement after Jimmy Kimmel asked how long she would stay on American Idol.
Explaining his decision, he said: “It has connected me to the heart of America, but I feel that I need to go out and feel that pulse to my own beat.”
But he hasn't completely ruled out returning to the show in the future. “Maybe I'll come back if they have me one day.”
Perry appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live ahead of the twenty-second season premiere of American Idol on Sunday, where she sat on the judging panel alongside soul and R&B legend Lionel Richie and country singer Luke Bryan.
Asked how her co-judges reacted to the news, she said: “They know I've got some things planned for this year…I'm making room for my new wing.
“They thought, I was in the studio for a while. So they thought something was wrong.”
“But they were cool … and then they did the bit with us, which was awesome.
“You know whose job it is, it's Lionel Richie. He can convince anyone of anything.”
Perry also discussed the viral moment she tried to find her seat at the coronation service at Westminster Abbey.
“I was looking for my seat. There were no reserved seats, which was kind of interesting,” she explained.
She admitted that her pink Vivienne Westwood fascinator might have obscured the view of those sitting behind her.
Perry rose to fame in 2008 with the song I Kissed a Girl and dominated the charts in the early 2010s. His last album Smile was released in 2020.
Simon Cowell joined American Idol for its sixteenth season in 2018 as part of its reboot on ABC, following in the footsteps of previous judges such as Paula Abdul, Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj.
She is married to actor Orlando Bloom and they have a three-year-old daughter, Daisy Dow.