Lionel Richie Addresses Katy Perry’s American Idol Exit Announcement

“I am not mad,” the “Whats up” singer mentioned, jokingly including, “It simply made me run off the highway after I first heard about it. My telephone blew up.”

American Idol decide Lionel Richie is sharing his ideas on the information that his fellow decide, Katy Perry, can be exiting the present after its upcoming twenty-second season.

Whereas showing on Thursday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Stay!, the singer — who joined American Idol as a decide alongside Richie and Luke Bryan in 2018 — reacted to Perry’s latest announcement that she’s leaving the ABC competitors collection after seven seasons.

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Katy Perry Followers Go Wild as She Confirms American Idol Exit, Teases New Music

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“I am not mad,” Richie, 74, informed Kimmel, jokingly including, “It simply made me run off the highway after I first heard about it. My telephone blew up.”

The “Whats up” singer went on to share that he “did not learn about” Perry’s announcement earlier than she revealed the information throughout an interview with Kimmel on Monday.

“It is smart,” Richie mentioned. “In different phrases: The explanation I really like approaching the present with you and the rationale I am doing American Idol is as a result of I’ve 400 years of tales and a life within the music enterprise. I’ve issues that I’ve completed.”

“And so when Katy says, ‘I need to go and create some tales,’ keep in mind, she’s younger,” he added. “However the level is that you need to take a while and truly be an artist.”

When requested about who he “wish to see” substitute Perry, the Grammy winner mentioned, “You understand, they’re conserving tight-lipped as a result of I do not even know, however I am telling you… It is gonna be actually fascinating.”

“Solely as a result of, I am telling you one thing, it is a nice present,” he continued. “And what I really like most of all is that we’re artists, so we all know what we’re speaking about, and these youngsters are scared to loss of life, so I really like sitting there because the clever poo-bahs of the three of us, and we’re sitting there and we’re all form of giving data that we all know is actual.”

“So whoever’s approaching the present has bought to be, properly, to come back previous Katy, you’ve got gotta be humorous ceaselessly, and, on high of that, educated,” he added.

Perry first shared the information of her exit on Monday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Stay!

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“I feel this can in all probability be my final season for Idol,” the 39-year-old singer revealed.

“I really like Idol a lot,” she mentioned, as the group audibly gasped. “It is linked me with the center of America. However I have to really feel that pulse to my very own beat.”

Kimmel’s follow-up was to ask what Richie and Bryan thought concerning the large change, to which Perry shot again, “Properly, they will discover out tonight!”

She went on so as to add, “They know I’ve some issues deliberate for this 12 months. It should be a really thrilling 12 months … for all pop star girlies. I have been within the studio for some time.”

“I wanna go and see the world, and perhaps convey new music,” she added. As with the whole lot else, Perry was slightly cryptic — but additionally fairly clear — with this one, but it surely definitely appears to recommend a brand new album and tour are on the best way.

Season 22 of American Idol premieres Sunday evening on ABC.