After several seasons together, the American Idol trio is breaking up with Katy Perry leaving the show at the end of the season. But what does that mean for Luke Bryan's and Lionel Richie's future on the show?
Sitting down with Taste of Country, Bryan recently revealed if Perry's exit will impact his own future on Idol. The country singer said he wasn't locked into a contract and takes things year by year. Bryan didn't confirm that he would return for another season of the show, but he said Perry's exit isn't impacting his decision.
Ultimately, he'll decide if he comes back then.
"No, not really. I mean, every year we re-kinda negotiate how we do Idol, and it's a year commitment," he said. "It's not like I have a five-year contract or anything. So when we start getting into the later stages of Idol, we'll start deciding whether we come back or not, and that's how we have done it for seven years."
Bryan also took the time to talk about his own reaction to Perry leaving the show. He said ultimately he wasn't as shocked as you might think. He said he heard that Perry was leaving the show. However, he believes that Perry initially didn't plan to announce she was leaving Idol on Jimmy Kimmel. "I had heard whispers that she was thinking about it — it wasn't like a huge shock," he said. "I think she kinda just got caught up in the moment with Kimmel and maybe announced that she was done."
Luke Bryan Talks Katy Perry on 'American Idol'
However, Bryan and Perry have grown close and will remain friends. Bryan opened up about getting to see her grow as a mother during her time on the show. He said, "Just seeing her be a mother through this whole process. I mean it's just really been fun getting to know Katy."
"She knows that no matter what her next endeavors are, that she can pick up the phone and call me and check in and say hey," he continued. "If she ever needs fishing advice or any random stuff like that."
However, you probably shouldn't expect Bryan and Perry to have a collaboration anytime soon. Bryan said something like that really wasn't on the table. "Well, I don't know," Bryan says. "I've always felt that collaborations are song-based before they are artist-based. With 'Cowboys and Plowboys' that song just felt right for me and Jon Pardi. I think the song dictates the collaboration, and from there you just have to rock and roll with it."
