Katy Perry will return to American Idol as a judge alongside Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan despite rumors of her exit. American Idol announced Tuesday that all three judges will return for Season 22 of the singing competition – its seventh on ABC – with Ryan Seacrest also returning to emcee the long-running show.
Rumors that the “Roar” singer planned to exit after the 2023 season sparked amid backlash Perry received for joking that contestant Sara Beth Liebe – a mother of three – had been “laying on the table too much.” Liebe, who would eventually leave the competition on her own accord, went on to accuse Perry of “mom-shaming” her on TikTok, although the singer did later go on to express her gratitude towards Idol and Perry, who is mother to 2-year-old daughter Daisy Dove with Orlando Bloom.
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Bryan previously defended Perry’s comments in an interview with Fox News. “Katy gets picked on for going out and trying to have fun making a TV show. You can’t be so safe in the moment that you’re so homogenized, you can’t ever go for a joke. Or go for a fun moment. Sometimes you just gotta say stuff. It may be my year next year,” he said. “It makes me appreciate her even more, just how big of a scale she’s had to deal with that her whole career.”
Perry also had contestant Oliver Steele coming to her defense. “Katy is not a bully, nor does she shame people,” he wrote on social media amid the backlash. “Katy has an incredible ability to not just tell what emotional state you’re in, but to be able to tell what’s holding you back. I love all the judges, but Katy always seemed to be able to look into my soul and tell exactly what was troubling me, or what it was I was struggling with.”
Steele continued, “It’s one thing to teach someone to believe in their ability, which the judges are fabulous at. Katy reminded me to believe in who I am as an artist. She challenged me to push myself, to take on challenges that made me uncomfortable.” The contestant said he felt like “a better musician and artist after Katy Perry pushed me to believe in my potential, and to exceed my expectations.” American Idol Season 22 is expected to return in spring 2024 to ABC. Auditions kick off Wednesday, Aug. 2, with the return of live virtual performances in the nationwide search for the next American Idol winner.
