Lionel Ritchie is feeling a bit jittery about the future of American Idol as Katy Perry hung up her judging hat.
On Sunday night, fans bid a heartfelt farewell to judge Perry after seven memorable years on the show. The three-hour finale also crowned a new AI winner.
The three remaining contestants were Will Moseley, Jack Blocker, and Abi Carter.
“I think they’re all deserving,” Perry told Los Angeles outlet ABC 7 prior to the finale. “I think they’re ready. The top three are ready to go.”
“It’ll be emotional,” fellow judge Luke Bryan admitted. “Katy and Lionel and I have developed a close friendship. It will be an emotional night.”
“There will be a moment,” host Ryan Seacrest predicted. “She’s going to take the stage. It will be especially significant being her last performance.”
“To see her leave is going to be frightening and sad,” Lionel Ritchie added. “But at the same time … hang on to your seat! She has a roar, about herself, no pun intended.”
“I think I will be crying at anything,” Perry warned. ‘It’s been a beautiful journey and I love watching these kids grow and becoming this big beautiful patchwork quilt.”
Katy Perry Recently Revealed Her Choice to Step in Alongside Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan
Lionel Richie’s fears aside, Katy Perry has already zeroed in on who she feels her AI replacement should be.
“I gotta say Jelly Roll was crazy when he came on the show,” Perry recently revealed. “I was convinced at anything he said. He could run for president, he could be my pastor, I might go back to church for him. He could sell me anything.”
“So I love him,” Perry added. “And to have any of these guys plus Jelly on the show would be amazing. I love you, Jelly!”
Perry also laid out a few more requirements she felt Jelly Roll would meet. “I want a truth teller,” she explained. “I want someone that is not afraid to tell the truth in a graceful way.”
In 2018, Perry joined American Idol as a judge for its 16th season, after a guest appearance in the ninth season. Her debut with co-judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, and host Ryan Seacrest, marked the show’s return on ABC instead of Fox, which had canceled it two years earlier. American Idol has aired on ABC ever since.