Katy Perry has announced that she will leave American Idol after seven seasons on the hit ABC reality TV show.
The Firework hitmaker revealed her exit weeks before she, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan return to the judges’ table for American Idol Season 22.
Last night on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Katy dropped the bombshell she’s ready to step back from American Idol.
She also took to Instagram to slide in her big news with a game of two truths and a lie.
Katy’s announcement shocked American Idol fans but also got them wondering what she makes for appearing on the singing competition.
Let’s say Katy is walking away from quite the big payday when she leaves American Idol.
How much does Katy Perry make on American Idol?
In 2017, Katy signed on to be part of the new American Idol on ABC. American Idol fans know the show ran on Fox for 15 seasons with various judges.
Katy, Luke, and Lionel have all three been at the judge’s table since ABC brought back that whole singing competition. It was revealed in 2017 by multiple sources that Katy was earning a whopping $25 million per season as a judge.
According to a Reddit thread, Katy got a raise two years ago, bumping up her season pay to $30 million, making her the highest-paid judge ever on the show.
That means Katy is walking away from a nice payday. Not that she’s hurting for money, considering her mega-successful singing career.
However, it does make one wonder why Katy is leaving American Idol and her hefty salary behind.
Katy Perry teases new music following American Idol exit news
Like Katy said to Jimmy, she’s simply ready to do her own thing, including returning to her musical roots.
“I wanna go and see the world and maybe bring new music,” she stated during her appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
The singer admitted that her co-judges Luke and Lionel knew she was back in the studio working on new music and other projects. However, Katy didn’t inform them that she was announcing her departure.
Along with working on a new album, Katy has a big event planned at a music festival in Brazil called Rock in Rio, which takes place in September. The festival also impacted her being able to return to American Idol for the next season.
Katy Perry will say goodbye to American Idol and her $30 million payday in May when Season 22 ends.
Will you miss Katy on American Idol?
American Idol premieres on Sunday, February 18, at 8/7c on ABC.