Katy Perry shocks fans by revealing departure from 'American Idol' after 7 seasons with surprising reason

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Katy Perry will be leaving 'American Idol' after seven seasons. During her appearance on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' on Monday night, February 12, the 'Firework' hitmaker revealed her departure to a gullible audience.

The 39-year-old pop star announced her departure from 'American Idol' eight months after sources exclusively disclosed to Daily Mail that she felt "thrown under the bus" by producers.

Perry joined the cast of 'American Idol' with its 2018 revival, which saw the singing competition switch from Fox to ABC.

Katy Perry quits 'American Idol' after being called 'nasty judge' and 'thrown under the bus'

Following seven seasons of the music competition series, Perry broke the announcement during her appearance on ABC's 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' program.

When host Jimmy Kimmel questioned Perry about her future as a judge on the popular ABC program, Perry revealed that the upcoming 22nd season would be her final one.

The multi-hyphenate star has been preparing to leave the show since it was revealed in 2023 that she felt like producers had always "thrown her under the bus," manipulating her to appear like the "nasty judge," per Daily Mail.

"Well, you know, this fall, this September, I’m going to be doing this huge music festival in Brazil called Rock in Rio. It’s really exciting," the California-bred entertainer said. "It’s a big deal for people all over the world, especially my Brazilian fans."

"So I think this will probably be my last season for Idol," continued Perry, who has served as a judge on the competition since its 2018 relaunch with Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie.

The mother of one continued, "I love Idol so much," to gasps from the crowd. "It’s connected me with the heart of America. But I need to feel that pulse of my own beat."

The singer quipped, "Well, they’ll find out tonight," in response to Kimmel's question about the other judges' feelings following Perry's unexpected departure.

Donning a cutout black Aya Muse dress with extravagant hoop hearings, Perry posted on Instagram later that day to confirm her departure from the judges' panel.

Perry teased her shocking announcement in the caption of three photos she shared during her appearance on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live.'

The 'Firework' hitmaker posted, interacting with her 206 million followers, "Let’s play two truths and a lie: 1. I beat @usher at Monopoly Deal. 2. I’m headlining Rock in Rio this September. 3. This is my last season on @americanidol."

Katy Perry reportedly expressed strong desire to quit 'American Idol'

Following six years on the program, Perry reportedly indicated a strong desire to leave 'Idol,' per sources who made this announcement months ago.

Online critics, who are longtime viewers of the show, have targeted the 39-year-old, condemning the "California Gurls" singer's provocative and at times "rude" approach to teaching.

Insiders report that Perry faced numerous scandals and controversies during the previous season, accumulating substantial negative feedback from viewers. She reached her breaking point when she was heckled for criticizing competitors.

Perry has been criticized in the past, but the insider claimed that season 21 had been particularly hard for her, especially when she was involved in a mom-shaming controversy that resulted in the departure of one of the show's singers.

The 'Last Friday Night' singer appeared to mom-shame 25-year-old Sara Beth Liebe, who resigned from the show to spend more time with her three children, which precipitated Perry's plunge into the sea of vitriol in April 2023.

The source claimed at the time, "Katy feels like [the producers] threw her under the bus. She feels like her comments could have been removed."

"Katy became aware of the harsh criticism. Getting booed really upset her. She was trying to stay in her lane, do her job and go home."

"She went into it thinking she was going to foster young talent. For her good intentions to be misinterpreted it was not what she wanted. She has accomplished so much in her career and is now being looked at as a nasty reality show judge," the source added.

The source said, "Katy's wanted out for some time now, but this season was way too much for her to handle."