While viewers seem to have mixed feelings towards any season of America's longest-running singing competition (on TV), quite a few intriguing moments captured the public's attention in the 21st season, which started in February 2023.
One of them was an audition episode that went from serious to cringe really fast. All thanks to Katy Perry.
Fans Think Katy Perry Turned A Contestant's Tragic Story All About Herself
The incident in question happened in Episode 2 of Season 21 of American Idol.
Trey Louis, a young mattress salesman from Santa Fe, Texas, walked in for the “golden ticket” audition round with big energy dripping off of him.
Self-titled as "Trey from the Fe", Louis built an instant rapport with all three judges of the show – Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan. And then he proceeded to sing “Stone” by rock/country band Whiskey Myers, earning himself a standing ovation from the judges, and a comparison with Chris Stapleton from Luke Bryan.
But the enthusiastic good energy quickly turned serious after Bryan asked Louis why he decided to audition for American Idol.
Louis mentioned that the primary reason was that all the people he followed got their start on the show. But the second reason was to bring awareness to one of the biggest problems in America at the moment: gun violence and school shootings.
“In May 2018, a gunman walked into my school,” Louis told the judges, trying to hold back his emotions.
He described how he was in “art room one” when the shootings began in “art room two”. And then the gunman made his way to Louis' classroom.
The incident happened on May 18, 2018, in Santa Fe High School, and left eight students and two teachers dead. Thirteen more people were seriously injured. The assailant was 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis, a student of the high school. His trial is ongoing as of April 2023.
All three judges were at a loss for words after Louis finished speaking. And when Richie and Bryan eventually said something, it felt like they were trying their best not to say something wrong given the gravity of the situation, and trying to bring the topic back to the way Louis sang just moments before.
Katy Perry though had something completely different on her mind.
Fans Say Katy Made The Audition About Herself
After her fellow judges finished speaking, Perry waited for a few seconds for the silence to lengthen before dramatically covering her face with her hands and putting her head down on the table before her.
When she lifted her head after a few more seconds, she had tears in her eyes and emphatically said:
“Our country has f***ing failed us!”
Perry went on to say that Louis should have auditioned because he loved music and not because he went through something so tragic.
“You didn’t have to lose eight friends,” Perry said. “I hope that you remind people that we have to change because... I’m scared too!”
Bryan and Richie comforted Perry after her outburst. “We have tolerated this for so long,” Richie added as Perry composed herself next to him.
Perry then went on to ask Louis to continue "to lead” the conversation on the subject. “Can you do me that favor?” Perry asked. Louis said he would.
But people on the internet are not impressed.
Fans are saying Perry was being “over-dramatic” and used the situation to draw attention to herself. “Oof. This was tough to watch. My skin turned inside out,” one person wrote on Reddit.
Another mentioned that it was off-putting to see Louis comfort Perry even though he was the one who lost friends in the school shooting.
“Being a narcissist, tip no. 1: when anyone else in the room is stealing your attention and sympathy for ANY reason, immediately cry loudly to regain full attention,” wrote another user.
Most people agreed that Pery had "attained maximum cringe," with some wondering whether she was drunk or otherwise under the influence during the emotional outburst.
This Isn't The First Time People Have Called Out Katy Perry's Antics On The Show
Katy Perry has been the center of quite a few controversies since she became a judge on American Idol.
There was the time she mom-shamed an aspiring contestant during the latter's audition. Then the time she kissed a teenager on the lips. The 19-year-old later expressed that he would have said “no” if she had asked first. The singer even ripped her pants on the show once.
Of course, from the standpoint of American Idol producers, being controversial is better than being a bore. Which is probably why Perry has been judging the show since 2017.
And this was apparent even in the online discussions about Trey Louis' American Idol audition.
“I thought they ended that show,” another user commented.
They are probably aware now that American Idol never went away; the show has been running since 2002.
Someone else commented on Katy Perry's appearance, “She doesn’t look much like Katy P anymore.”
Perry's changing face possibly due to plastic surgery and Botox is another thing fans routinely talk about when discussing the show.
As for Trey Louis – the Santa Fe native made it to California but got eliminated before he could reach the “Top 24.” But he's still very active on TikTok and his other socials where he has even released some original songs.
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