Katy Perry Gives 'American Idol' Audience the Cold Shoulder During Recent Taping, Stayed 'Glued to Her Phone': Report
May 1 2024, Published 1:00 p.m. ET
Exiting American Idol judge Katy Perry isn't trying to hide that she's over the singing competition show.
While Perry turned on the charm for the cameras during a recent taping, her behavior behind the scenes was said to be a different story. A source said she stayed "glued to her phone" and "coldly ignored" the audience during commercial breaks, RadarOnline.com has learned.
According to an insider, the I Kissed a Girl singer's behavior on set was shockingly different during commercial breaks.
"It was off-putting to see how she was so into her phone and ignored fans who were shouting her name," a source told the U.S. Sun.
"Fans shouted, 'Katy! Katy!' and, 'We love you Katy!' and if anything, she would quickly turn around to glance at them, but then went back to texting," the insider continued.
"She acted very cold toward the audience and would not sign any autographs or take any photos with them."
On the other hand, the remaining judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan were "very engaging" and took the time to interact with fans excited to be at the taping.
While Perry stayed focused on her phone during commercial breaks, Bryan and Richie reportedly got out of their seats and took selfies with fans and signed autographs.
After ignoring fans during the majority of the taping, Perry appeared to throw the audience a bone about three and a half hours into the show.
"During one break she was going through her box of goodies that was underneath the judge's table and she took some treats and threw them into the audience," the source recalled. "It looked like she threw a bag of popcorn, and then a bag of Sour Patch Kids, and then a chocolate bar."
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While Perry tossed snacks into the crowd, that appeared to be the extent of her interaction with fans for much of the show, though she did walk over to give one contestant's family member a signed note card.
At the end of the taping, the tipster said the pop star "finally caved in and walked to three different groups in the audience to take selfies" before walking back to the judges' table to snap a photo with her co-hosts and remaining contestants.
This isn't the first time since Perry announced she was leaving the singing competition show that she's appeared checked-out on set.
As RadarOnline.com reported, the pop singer appeared to distance herself from longtime host Ryan Seacrest during an earlier taping this season, shortly after she revealed she was stepping away from Idol to focus on her music career.
During a taping at the Aulani Disney Resort in Hawaii, a witness said they "noticed interactions between Katy and Ryan Seacrest were pretty icy and they would only interact when the cameras were rolling."