Katy Perry’s final American Idol stop was emotionally chaotic, with pizza-flinging moments and hearty tributes

Katy Perry officially took her last stand on the American Idol stage on Sunday, May 19. Although congratulations are in order for the Season 22 winner, Abi Carter, things took an emotionally bittersweet turn as the Roar songstress broke into tears during her final appearance on ABC’s singing competition.

The Grammy nominee embraced her fellow judges, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, in tears as Abi belted her heart out to Billie Eilish’s Oscar-winning soulful tune, What Was I Made For?, in the end.

During the emotional three-hour finale, which also bid the Firework singer farewell, Perry visibly looked upon her reality TV co-stars, including show host Ryan Seacrest, with extra love. For her Idol swansong, Katy even took the stage with finalist Jack Blocker for a special duet, flaunting her 2020 track What Makes a Woman.

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Extending a uniquely heartfelt shout-out, she also paid tribute to the show’s contestants by revealing her surprising choice of attire for the performance. Although initially seated, Perry rose up later to unveil a towering dress overlaid with Idol contestants’ faces.

Katy Perry’s final American Idol appearance

Throughout the Season 22 finale, Perry stayed on edge. The mere mention of it being her final Idol appearance brought tears to her eyes. The top 12 contestants of the singing contest joined forces, taking a moment to honour Perry’s seven-year American Idol stint as an esteemed judge and mentor. Pulling out her career hits, the Top 12 gave her an affectionate send-off by performing Teenage Dream, Dark Horse and California Gurls.

Before the last episode of the season aired, Perry commented on the anticipated waterworks that would follow on Sunday. “I think I will be crying at anything… It’s been a beautiful journey, and I love watching these kids grow and becoming this big beautiful patchwork quilt,” she told ABC7 ahead of the Season 22 finale.

Perry has been an indispensable presence alongside Bryan and Richie since ABC revived American Idol in 2018 following its departure from Fox after fifteen seasons. The trio has illustriously maintained its constant panel since Season 16. Speculations and rumours are already in flight, probing who could replace Perry for Season 23.

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American Idol Season 22 winners and finalists

ABC picked Abi Carter as the undisputed winner of American Idol Season 22. Meanwhile, Will Moseley was announced as the runner-up, with Jack Blocker finishing third.

Katty Perry recreates her viral pizza video

Perry stepped into her 2022 shoes for her final show as a “mom feeding her babies.” The old inside joke shared with her fans came back alive as the California Gurl flung slices of pizza into the crowd. The 2024 revival of an old Katy Perry moment is seemingly a direct nod to her infamously laughter-filled 2022 Las Vegas residency appearance.

The Last Friday Night songstress also shared the live clip of the notorious antic on her X/Twitter. “A pizza my heart will always be on the idol stage,” she tweeted online. In this video, Perry wore a strapless gold metal breastplate with floral embellishments, which she paired with a white skirt – switching looks from her previous expansive stage dress.

Her stunt evidently divided the Internet. While one side laughed it off, the other couldn’t agree with the wasteful move. “What a non-sensible way to connect with fans by throwing food at them! For few, this is a whole day’s or week’s meal,” a user commented on her post. Countering that discourse, a supposed fan of hers wrote, “Mom is feeding her babies 👶.”