Lionel Richie weighs in on Katy Perry's American Idol exit: 'My phone blew up'

Lionel Richie is ready to see his American Idol co-judge Katy Perry sail on to her next adventure. 

The “Hello” crooner has addressed Perry’s recent announcement that she would be exiting the singing competition series after its 22nd season. “I’m not mad," he said while visiting Jimmy Kimmel Live on Thursday.

"It just made me run off the road when I first heard about it,” he continued, joking about Perry's upcoming departure. “My phone blew up.”

The Grammy winner also confirmed that he wasn’t aware of Perry’s decision before she spilled the beans on Monday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live. “No, we didn’t know about it, but it makes sense,” he said. “In other words: The reason I love coming on the show with you and the reason I’m doing American Idol is because I have 400 years of stories and a life in the music business. I have things that I’ve done.”

He continued, “And so when Katy says, ‘I want to go and create some stories,’ remember, she’s young. But the point is that you have to take some time and actually be an artist.”

As for who will fill Perry’s shoes as a judge next season? “You know, they are keeping tight-lipped because I don’t even know, but I’m telling you… It’s gonna be really interesting.” Richie teased. “Only because, I’m telling you something, this is a great show. And what I love most of all is that we’re artists, so we know what we’re talking about, and these kids are scared to death, so I love sitting there as the wise poo-bahs, the three of us, and we’re sitting there and we’re all kind of giving information that we know is real.”

He added, "So whoever’s coming on the show has got to be, well, to come past Katy, you’ve gotta be humorous forever, and, on top of that, knowledgeable.”

Perry announced that the new season of Idol would be her last while visiting Jimmy Kimmel on Monday, adding, “I love Idol so much. 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, you know what I'm saying, Jimmy?" 

While she did not indicate if her fellow Idol judges Richie and Luke Bryan knew she was leaving the show, Perry said they likely "figured" something was happening because she'd "been in the studio for a while."

Moving forward, the “Teenage Dream” songstress said, she hopes “to go and see the world and maybe bring new music” too, but she left the door open to “maybe” return to American Idol at some point in the future.

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