With filming underway for season 23 of “American Idol” and tickets to Katy Perry’s world tour now on sale, there’s no turning back for the show’s former judge, who left the series in May 2024 to fully dive back into her music career.
But while appearing on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on January 29, 2025, Perry admitted she’s been missing her former “Idol” co-stars, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, who spent seven seasons at the judging table with her.
“I miss them so much, I do actually,” she told Kimmel, and then greeted them through the TV screen. “Hi, Luke! Hi, Lionel!”
Katy Perry Says Lionel Richie & Luke Bryan Reach Out ‘All the Time’
GettyWhen Kimmel asked Perry whether Richie or Bryan still reach out to connect, the pop star answered, “Yeah, of course. Of course. All the time.”
However, she acknowledged “they probably have a new text chain” with her replacement, Carrie Underwood, who won the fourth season of “Idol” in 2005 and is now returning to the show as a judge.
“But I think it’s perfect,” she said of Underwood’s hiring. “And it’s coming out in March, so you’ve gotta watch!”
“Alright, so you’re still for people watching the show,” Kimmel remarked, and Perry replied, “Yes, of course!”
Perry reiterated her support of Underwood’s hiring in an interview published the following day, telling People, “She was born on that show. I think she knows how to steer it. She actually truly knows what it feels like to be in their shoes. We could only metaphorically feel that as judges.”
Perry added, “As artists, we’ve been in some sort of their shoes, but she has lived every single day. So I think she’s going to have a lot to offer anyone that’s willing to listen.”
Katy Perry Stunned Fans by Leaving ‘American Idol’ in May 2024 to Prepare for Her Tour
Perry shocked fans and her co-stars when she revealed on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” in February 2024 that season 22 of “Idol” would be her last on the show.
“I think this probably will be my last show, my last season for ‘Idol,'” she told the shocked audience. “I mean I love ‘Idol’ so much. It’s connected me with the heart of America, but I feel like I need to go out and feel that pulse to my own beat, you what I’m saying Jimmy? I love the show so much but I wanna go and see the world and maybe bring new music.”
When Kimmel reminded her of that unexpected announcement during her January 29 appearance, she said, “I was departing so that I could go on the ‘Lifetimes’ tour.”
As promised, Perry released her new album “143” in September and has rolled out world tour dates since then, with concerts beginning on April 23 in Mexico City. Tickets to the U.S. leg of the tour were released on January 31.
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Katy Perry Admits She’s Missing ‘Idol’ Judges Lionel Richie & Luke Bryan ‘So Much’