Lionel Richie Addresses Katy Perry’s ‘American Idol’ Exit: “It Just Made Me Run Off the Road”
Lionel Richie is speaking out after his fellow American Idol judge Katy Perry revealed that the upcoming 22nd season will be her last.
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday, the singer addressed Perry’s surprise announcement while also visiting Live! earlier this week.
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“It just made me run off the road when I first heard about it. My phone blew up,” Richie told Kimmel, also confirming that he wasn’t upset with the singer for unexpectedly dropping the news on the show.
Richie shared that he and fellow Idol judge Luke Bryan “didn’t know about it,” but her decision to exit “makes sense.”
“In other words: The reason I love coming on the show here with you and the reason I’m doing American Idol is because I have 400 years of stories and a life in the music business. I have things that I’ve done,” Richie said. “And so when Katy says, ‘I want to go and create some stories,’ remember, she’s young. But the point is that you have to take some time and actually be an artist.”
When Perry explained her decision to Kimmel, she reiterated that she loved the show, saying it connected her “with the heart of America.” However, she said, “I need to feel that pulse of my own beat.” When Kimmel asked what her fellow Idol judges thought of her decision, Perry had shared, “Well, they’ll find out tonight!” Perry later confirmed the exit news in an Instagram post.
Perry has been a judge alongside Richie and Bryan since the singing competition was revived by ABC in 2018. No announcements have been made about who is considered to next join the judges’ table. When reached by The Hollywood Reporter, reps for Idol had no additional comment.
As for who he thinks will replace Perry, Richie noted that it’s being kept “tight-lipped.”
“I don’t even know, but I’m telling you … It’s gonna be really interesting. Only because, I’m telling you something, this is a great show. And what I love most of all is that we’re artists, so we know what we’re talking about, and these kids are scared to death, so I love sitting there as the wise pooh-bahs, the three of us, and we’re sitting there, and we’re all kind of giving information that we know is real.”
Richie said that whoever comes to the judges’ table has to “be humorous forever and, on top of that, knowledgeable.”
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