Katy Perry is (probably) saying goodbye to American Idol

American Idol is far from its golden years, yet Katy Perry has nevertheless stewarded the show through seven successful seasons after the show transitioned from FOX to ABC. But now she’s had enough: the singer announced on Jimmy Kimmel Live that the upcoming 22nd season will “probably be my last show.” She explained, “I mean I love Idol so much. It’s connected me with like the heart of America, but I feel like I need to go out and feel that pulse, that pulse to my own beat.”

Asked how fellow judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan reacted to the news, Perry joked, “Well they’ll find out tonight! … They know I have some things planned for this year.” She added that Richie and Bryan knew she’d “been in the studio for a while” and said, “I love the show so much but I wanna go and see the world and maybe bring new music.”

Perry claimed she felt good about leaving after seven seasons because the original, iconic judges panel Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell, and Randy Jackson “had seven seasons” (Abdul had nine, Cowell had 10, and Jackson had 13, but okay). She’s also coming off a bit of a rough season herself. The pop star faced some backlash in the 21st season for how she talked to contestants. One hopeful accused her of “mom shaming” because Perry joked that the mother of three had been “laying on the table too much.” Fans were also bothered when she criticized a contestant’s penchant for glitter and felt she had a “rude” reaction after one of her favorite contestants was eliminated in the top 20. And, possibly separate from Perry, contestants just kept quitting the season left and right, so maybe the truth is that no one really wants to be on American Idol anymore.

Perry isn’t ruling out a return—“Maybe I’ll come back if they’ll have me one day!” she told Kimmel—but for now, “it’s going to be a very, very exciting year … for all popstar girlies!” she pronounced. Thus far in 2024, we have albums confirmed from Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, Kacey Musgraves, Dua Lipa, and Jennifer Lopez, as well as likely drops from Selena Gomez, Sia, Halsey, Camila Cabello, and now Katy Perry. Perry’s last album, Smile, came out in 2020; she concluded a nearly two-year Las Vegas residency, “Play,” in November 2023. Now she’s ready to rejoin her fellow pop star girlies for one of the most fruitful years in recent memory.