It’s the end of an era for Katy Perry! The 39-year-old pop star said goodbye to American Idol on Sunday night in a tearful sendoff during the show’s season finale.
The tears began at the very start of the episode as Perry was already choked up the moment she hit the stage.
Her moments of emotion led to her performance in the third hour of Sunday’s big finale, where she took the stage with third-place finalist Jack Blocker for a stunning duet of her single “What Makes a Woman.”
As Perry performed opposite Blocker, they were both elevated above the stage, and Perry’s striking dress unfurled as she rose in the air, revealing that it was adorned with the portrait photos of every American Idol hopeful this season.
The performance was met with a roaring cheer from the crowd and a tearful Perry smiled as she raised her arms above her head and made a heart with her hands.
Later in the episode, the ladies of the Top 12 — including Abi Carter, Emmy Russell, Jayna Elise, Julia Gagnon, Kaibrienne “KB” Richins, McKenna Breinholt and Mia Matthews — came together on stage for a musical tribute to Perry, singing a medley of some of her biggest hits.
The singers gave it their all as they belted out “Teenage Dream,” “Dark Horse” and “California Gurls,” and Perry was fully standing on the judges’ table and cheering for them by the time the medley came to an end.
Before the show kicked off, Perry took to Instagram to give fans a sneak peek at her finale ensemble, which included a form-molded golden top adorned with seven metallic roses.
“7 roses for 7 seasons,” Perry captioned the slideshow post.
It has been seven years since Perry first started as a judge on the hit music competition series. During that time she has worked alongside fellow judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, as well as host Ryan Seacrest.
Perry has been preparing for her exit all season, previously telling ET, “I am always emotional on finale, but gosh when this finale comes, I better just tape the false lashes to my face.”
Seacrest also told ET ahead of Perry’s last episode, “She’s gonna perform, we’re gonna celebrate her all night. Then afterwards, I eat fish and vegetables — so she’s taking us for steak… It’s a celebratory night, right?”
“It’s been a fantastic seven years with her, so sad to see her go,” he added. “We all know each other very, very well. The judges have such an amazing chemistry but the show, through its existence, has always evolved into the next chapter and we’re gonna do it again.”
Prior to the final episode airing, Perry teased her post-show plans to ET.
“I’m gonna stay present and take it all in and then have a little after-party and Luke [Bryan] and I will finally drink. After seven years, we’ll really drink,” she shared.
Bryan also teased, “It will be emotional. We’ve had, gosh, seven years, spending so much time together. Me and her and Lionel, we’ve all leaned on each other… It’ll be a little tough knowing that she’s not going to be there.”
Perry also spoke about why she decided to leave the competition show after seven years.
“I’m just trying to make space for other things,” she explained to ET. “It’s not like me ending this show means I’m going to go retire on an island, even though that would be fabulous. I’m gonna go to work.”
Could part of that “work” be the elusive KP6 she recently teased on Instagram?
“You’ll learn more when it’s ready to launch,” Perry said of her rumored new music.
Since her time on the show began, Perry and longtime partner, Orlando Bloom, welcomed their now-3-year-old daughter, Daisy Dove.
The show has yet to announce her celebrity replacement, though plenty of suggestions have been thrown out there. Last month, Idol alum Fantasia Barrino told ET she would “love” to take Perry’s spot as one of the three judges, 20 years after she won the show herself. Bryan also was enthusiastic about Meghan Trainor possibly taking the gig after the singer lent her expertise as a coach.
“I think Meghan’s always been real fun. You know, that’s kinda been her brand, to have fun,” Bryan shared with ET. “[She’s] real witty, so certainly.”
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