How Katy Perry feels about ‘American Idol’ backlash amid ‘roller-coaster season’
You’re not gonna hear her roar.
Katy Perry is brushing off the criticism she has received from “American Idol” contestants and viewers during Season 21, Page Six has learned.
“Katy isn’t fazed by the backlash,” a source tells us exclusively. “This has been a roller-coaster season with a lot of great talent, so she is just doing her job.”
The insider notes that the pop star “has a unique sense of humor that may not always translate well on camera, but she never has any ill intent” while judging the singing competition.
“She’s a mentor and a friend to the contestants,” our source stresses.
Reps for Perry and ABC did not respond to Page Six’s requests for comment.
The “Teenage Dream” singer, 38, has come under fire multiple times in recent months for comments she made to the show’s latest group of hopefuls.
First, she was accused of “mom-shaming” Sara Beth Liebe by joking that the 25-year-old mother of three had been “laying on the table too much.”
Liebe blasted Perry’s “hurtful” quip in a TikTok video after her audition aired in March, adding, “I think that it’s hard enough to be a mom, and it’s hard enough to be a woman.”
Liebe subsequently left “Idol” early to “get home to [her] babies” and clarified on Instagram that she was “not even mad” at the Grammy nominee.
Perry also faced backlash in April for critiquing Nutsa Buzaladze’s glittery costume and begging viewers to vote after Wé Ani survived eliminations but Elijah McCormick did not.
For more Page Six you love…
However, many fans have rushed to the “Firework” vocalist’s defense, arguing that her commentary pales in comparison to original “American Idol” judge Simon Cowell’s notoriously harsh insults.
“do yall not remember Simon? He tore people up … Katy isn’t even close to that! She could get bitchier and I’d be here for it,” one viewer tweeted.
“I don’t see how Katy was rude … It’s a lot more gracious than Simon Cowell would be!” another wrote.
“We just sit here and pretend Simon Cowell wasn’t a thing, huh,” a third joked.
Those looking for a break from Perry will get their wish Sunday when she and Lionel Richie are temporarily replaced by Alanis Morissette and Ed Sheeran.
The series had to switch up the judges’ table — which has also included Luke Bryan since its 2018 revival — after Perry and Richie were tapped to perform at King Charles III’s coronation concert in London.
“American Idol” airs Sundays and Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
