American Idol is coming back for another season, and Katy Perry will be returning as a judge. ABC shared a press release saying that Perry will be back at the judges' table alongside Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan. Ryan Seacrest will also be back as the show's host.
Despite the singer's return, there are plenty of people who are less than thrilled by her return.
More from Mom.com: Katy Perry Called ‘Condescending’ After Interrupting Lionel Richie on ‘American Idol’
Katy most famously came under fire during Season 21 for mom-shaming contestant Sara Beth Liebe. During Liebe's audition, she shared that she's in her early 20s and is a mom to three young children at home. Perry then stood up with her cohost, Bryan, fanning her.
"If Katy lays on the table, I think I’m going to pass out," Liebe said.
"Honey, you’ve been laying on the table too much," Perry replied.
Of course, people didn't take kindly to the comments Perry made.
"I really do not like how Katy Perry just treated Sara Beth on #AmericanIdol I don’t watch this show at all and my tv was already on the channel but what I witnessed was not right. They let Katy Perry bully this woman on live national tv before she even started singing. So ugly," someone tweeted.
Liebe took to TikTok to share her thoughts on the situation, too.
"It was embarrassing to have that on TV, and it was hurtful," Liebe said in the video.
"I think that women supporting and uplifting other women is so cool, and I think that mom-shaming is super lame, and I think that it’s hard enough to be a mom and it’s hard enough to be a woman," the former contestant said.
Liebe ended up leaving the competition early despite being voted through. She revealed that she'd rather return home and be with her children.
Perry also came under fire for criticizing contestant Nutsa Buzaladze's costume choices and being "dismissive" after her favorite contestant was voted off.
An insider told Page Six that Perry was "fazed by the backlash" and that she was "just doing her job." They also added that she "has a unique sense of humor that may not always translate well on camera" but that "she never has any ill intent."
We'll see what happens in Season 22.
