Lionel Richie is sharing his thoughts on fellow American Idol judge Katy Perry announcing her plans to exit the competition series.
“I’m not mad,” Richie, 74, said during the Thursday, February 15, episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! “It just made me run off the road when I first heard about it. My phone blew up.”
Richie confirmed that he wasn’t aware of Perry’s decision before she let the cat out of the bag during her own Monday, February 12, appearance on Jimmy Kimmel’s show.
“No, we didn’t know about it, but it makes sense,” Richie said. “In other words: The reason I love coming on the show with you and the reason I’m doing American Idol is because I have 400 years of stories and a life in the music business. I have things that I’ve done.”
The “Hello” singer then pointed out that Perry, 39, is at an earlier point in her career.
“When Katy says, ‘I want to go and create some stories,’ remember, she’s young,” he said. “The point is that you have to take some time and actually be an artist.”
Perry shared the big news after Kimmel, 56, asked her on Monday “how long” she plans to judge the reality show.
“I think this probably will be my last show, my last season for Idol,” she replied. “I mean, I love Idol so much. It’s connected me with, like, the heart of America, but I feel like I need to go out and feel that pulse to my own beat, you know what I’m saying?”
As for her next chapter, Perry said she hopes “to go and see the world and maybe bring new music” too. The “Firework” musician, whose last record, Smile, came out in 2020, teased that she’s “been in the studio” lately.
Perry has served on Idol’s judging panel alongside Richie and Luke Bryan since the show’s ABC revival began in 2018. While Richie said on Thursday that even he doesn’t know who might replace Perry, he teased that it will “be really interesting” to see who fills her shoes.
“I’m telling you something, this is a great show. And what I love most of all is that we’re artists, so we know what we’re talking about, and these kids are scared to death, so I love sitting there as the wise poobahs, the three of us, and we’re sitting there and we’re all kind of giving information that we know is real,” Richie said.
He concluded: “So, whoever’s coming on the show has got to be, well, to come past Katy, you’ve gotta be humorous forever, and, on top of that, knowledgeable.”
Season 22 of American Idol premieres on ABC Sunday, February 18, at 8 p.m. ET.
