Katy Perry to leave American Idol after seven seasons

Katy Perry has revealed she is leaving American Idol after seven seasons as a judge on the talent show.

Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday night, the 39-year-old singer said: "I think this probably will be my last show, my last season for Idol."

Explaining her decision, she said she wanted to "go see the world" and hinted at releasing new music.

Perry has been a judge on the ABC show since 2018.

The Roar singer made the announcement after being asked by Jimmy Kimmel how long she would stay on American Idol.

Explaining her decision, she said: "It's connected me with the heart of America, but I feel like I need to go out and feel that pulse to my own beat."

But she did not not completely rule out a future return to the show. "Maybe I'll come back if they have me one day."

Perry appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live ahead of the premiere of American Idol's twenty-second season on Sunday, where she sits on the judging panel alongside soul and R&B legend Lionel Richie and country singer Luke Bryan.

Asked about how her co-judges reacted to the news, she said: "They know I have some things planned for this year... I'm creating space for my new wingspan.

"They figured, I've been in the studio for a while. So they figured something is up."

The California Girls singer also reflected on her performance for King Charles III at his televised Coronation Concert in May last year.

Recounting running through Windsor Castle to get to filming in time for an American Idol segment with King Charles and Queen Camilla, she said: "I ran straight into them, and I was like 'Oh, went the wrong way'.

"But they were cool... and then they did the bit with us which was fantastic.

"And you know whose work that was, that was Lionel Richie. He can convince anyone to anything."

Perry also discussed the viral moment of her trying to find her seat at the Coronation Service in Westminster Abbey.

"I was looking for my seat. There's no assigned seating, which was kind of interesting," she explained.

She agreed that people sitting behind her may have had their view obscured by her lilac Vivienne Westwood fascinator, adding "she could barely see" herself.

Perry shot to fame in 2008 with the song I Kissed A Girl, going onto dominate the charts in the early 2010s. Her last album Smile was released in 2020.

She joined American Idol in its sixteenth season as part of its reboot on ABC in 2018, following in the footsteps of previous judges like Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj.

Her time on the show attracted some controversial headlines. Last year a contestant accused her of "mom shaming" after Perry made a joke about her "laying on the table too much".

She also faced backlash when another contestant in 2018 said he was left uncomfortable when Perry kissed him on the lips because it was his first kiss.

Last year Perry sold the rights to her five studio albums for a reported $225m (£177.5m), shortly before ending her nearly two-year Las Vegas residency in November.

She is married to actor Orlando Bloom and they have a daughter named Daisy Dove, aged three.