Heavy/ABC Katy Perry and Luke Bryan in Hawaii for season 22 performances
Nearly two months after Katy Perry announced that the current season 22 of “American Idol” will be her last, fellow judge Luke Bryan has publicly weighed in on her decision for the first time.
Perry’s unexpected announcement on the February 12 episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live” came just days after she and Bryan, along with judge Lionel Richie and host Ryan Seacrest, filmed with the Top 24 contestants in Hawaii (airing on April 7 and 8).
Though Perry, 39, told Kimmel that she thought her fellow castmates had an inkling she might be leaving, Richie told Kimmel days later that he was stunned by her announcement. Now Bryan has weighed in, telling Taste of Country Nights on April 6 that he wasn’t shocked by the news, but slightly surprised by the timing.
“I had heard whispers that she was thinking about it — it wasn’t, like, a huge shock,” Bryan said. “I think she kinda just got caught up in the moment with Kimmel and maybe announced that she was done.”
Luke Bryan Expects to Remain Friends With Katy Perry After She Leaves ‘Idol’
Getty “American Idol” judges Luke Bryan and Katy Perry speak onstage at an ABC Television/Disney panel in 2018.
When live shows kickoff on April 13, it will be the cast’s first time filming “Idol” together since Perry publicly announced she would leave after seven seasons on the show. Though their last time at the judges’ table will be in May, Bryan told Taste of Country Nights that it won’t be the end of their friendship.
“It’s been a good run with Katy, and she and I have developed a great friendship and to work alongside her,” he said. “I mean, heck, I was there before her daughter was born, and now her daughter is three or four years old.”
Bryan, Richie and Perry began judging “American Idol” together in 2018, when ABC revived the show a year after its run on FOX ended. Perry and her fiancé, actor Orlando Bloom, welcomed daughter Daisy on August 26, 2020, according to People.
Bryan told Taste of Country Nights that he’s enjoyed “just seeing her be a mother through this whole process,” adding, “I mean it’s just really been fun getting to know Katy.”
“She knows that no matter what her next endeavors are, that she can pick up the phone and call me and check in and say hey,” Bryan added, joking, “If she ever needs fishing advice or any random stuff like that.”
Luke Bryan Says Katy Perry’s Departure Won’t Impact His Decision on Whether to Stay
ABCMickey and Minnie mouse with “American Idol” cast Ryan Seacrest, Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie at Disney’s Aulani Resort & Spa in February 2024
When Taste of Country Nights asked Bryan whether Perry’s decision will have any impact on deciding his future at “American Idol,” he replied, “No, not really. I mean, every year we re-kinda negotiate how we do ‘Idol,’ and it’s a year commitment.”
“It’s not like I have a five-year contract or anything,” he continued. “So when we start getting into the later stages of ‘Idol,’ we’ll start deciding whether we come back or not, and that’s how we have done it for seven years.”
ABC announced on July 25 that all four star members of the “Idol” cast were on board for another year of the show. This is the seventh season in a row for all three judges, while Seacrest has been the host all 22 seasons.
In the midst of season 22 auditions in October, Perry insisted during a group interview with ET, that their foursome was rock solid.
“You can’t separate us,” Perry told the outlet. “You can’t break this fam down!”
The group filmed Hollywood Week in December and then traveled to Hawaii to critique the Top 24 contestants’ performances and film promos together on February 7 and 8. While there, she told Billboard that a lot of “responsibility” comes with the role.
“I think we all take it very seriously,” she told Billboard. “No matter how much fun we’re having or the jokes or the jests, we understand what it’s like to walk a day in their shoes and to have a dream and want to see it fulfilled, so we take it seriously. When we see it come full circle like Iam Tongi or anyone on this show, we just feel so proud.”
Though Perry told Kimmel she hopes to finalize new music and hinted at a possible tour, it’s not clear what happened in the four days between her Hawaii filming and Kimmel’s show that made her decide to announce her departure.