Katy Perry leaving American Idol after season 22; why?

After being a part of American Idol ever since the show migrated to ABC, it seems it is time for Katy Perry to say goodbye.

Today, Entertainment Weekly confirmed that the pop superstar is departing the judging panel following the season this spring. This is something that Perry herself alluded to in an interview with Jimmy Kimmel last night, noting that she wanted to broaden her horizons and do some different things moving into later this year. This doesn’t seem to be an acrimonious departure by any means; Perry has made a great deal of money from doing this show but, at the same time, it also takes up a good bit of time in between the auditions, Hollywood Week, and doing the live shows.

Overall, Katy’s run as a judge has had its fair share of highs and lows. At times, she has been the most honest of the three judges in terms of providing legitimate feedback; yet, she was also the subject of criticism last year and there were some who also felt like the show was scapegoating her when it comes to her response to certain contestants. We do at least think that she did her best to keep the general spirit of American Idol alive, which was to help find a start but, beyond that, also try to figure out the right ways for them to grow and improve. One of the big issues with The Voice in general is that despite all the hype about “coaching,” everyone is labeled as amazing and you never really see much in the way of constructive advice on-air. In general, the fear of blowback is often something big stars have on these shows.

In the end, we will see what Perry brings to the table in her final outing, as we will see more of American Idol overall throughout the spring.

What do you think about Katy Perry leaving American Idol following the upcoming season?

Be sure to share right now in the attached comments! Once you do just that, keep coming back — there are some more updates on the way.

This article was written by Jessica BunBun.