'Third Wheel' Katy Perry Feels Excluded From 'Boys' Club' With Fellow 'American Idol' Judges Luke Bryan & Lionel Richie
Feb. 20 2023, Published 5:00 a.m. ET
Katy Perry has been feeling excluded as she gears up for her sixth season of American Idol alongside fellow judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, show insiders claim.
RadarOnline.com has exclusively learned the Dark Horse singer is being "bromanced out" of their group, making for a "third wheel" dynamic while filming the ABC megahit.
"Katy says American Idol has turned into a boys' club with Luke and Lionel," one tipster spilled about the guys' close bond. "They play pranks on each other and tell inside jokes."
Luke and Lionel even recently teamed up for the Crash My Playa concert event in Mexico this January, where the country crooner sang his praises, not only calling Lionel "one of the greatest human beings ever," but also "one of my best friends in the world."
The duo wowed the crowd with a live rendition of several famous songs including Easy by The Commodores.
"I want to do this song with you because I say every night in my show this is a song you like to sing," Lionel told Luke before they performed his own single, Stuck on You.
Katy first joined American Idol as a guest judge, making a splash during season 9. She later signed on for a full-time role and has become a fixture on the show after it was revived and moved over to ABC from Fox.
ABC announced last summer that judges Katy, Luke and Lionel, plus host Ryan Seacrest, would be back to lead the singing competition series in 2023.
Auditions have already been underway and the premiere is right around the corner on February 19.
Last season, the I Kissed a Girl hitmaker was transparent about being in a few "real public spats" with her fellow judges due to them having different opinions, noting that she held her own and stood by her vote.
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Katy admitted that when it came to their thoughts on a few contestants this season, she "didn't really agree with them" at all during an interview with Entertainment Tonight.
"Those boys, like, it's true, they may have been a little bullied by my direct, black-and-white yes or no [choices] these past seasons."