Katy Perry is leaving American Idol after the show crowns the Season 22 winner, and ahead of the grand finale on Sunday night, the judge predicts she’ll most likely cry.
“I think I will be crying at anything,” Perry said in an interview posted by KABC. ‘It’s been a beautiful journey and I love watching these kids grow and becoming this big beautiful patchwork quilt.”
Perry is set to end her seven-year tenure on the ABC reality competition, which is also making her co-judges, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, emotional.
“To see her leave is going to be frightening and sad, but at the same time … hang on to your seat! She has a roar, about herself, no pun intended,” Richie said.
Bryan added, “It’ll be emotional. Katy, Lionel, and I have developed a close friendship. It will be an emotional night.”
Host Ryan Seacrest noted that “there will be a moment” when Perry takes the stage, and “it will be especially significant being her last performance.”
Perry, Bryan, and Richie joined American Idol in 2018 when ABC revived the singing competition after fifteen seasons on Fox. Since Season 16, the judge’s panel has remained unchanged until Perry’s departure. ABC has not announced who will take Perry’s spot when the show returns for Season 23.
The American Idol Season 22 finalists are Jack Blocker, Abi Carter, and Will Moseley. The finale will air on Sunday, May 19, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC.