HOME / ENTERTAINMENT / REALITY TV

Katy Perry gets called out for 'cold behavior' with fans on 'American Idol': "She acted very..."

It looks like Katy Perry would rather be 'glued to her phone' than engage with her fans sparking backlash at the 'American Idol' judge's behaviour

In a big moment from this spring’s 'American Idol', Katy Perry's behavior at the April 29 taping had fans calling her out for "acting cold" off-camera. During the episode where the Top 8 contestants competed for their spot, the pop star showed a completely different side during commercial breaks. "It was off-putting to see how she was so into her phone and ignored fans who were shouting her name," an insider attending the taping revealed. She claimed Perry kept focusing on her phone as diehard fans tried to get her attention. "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."

While Perry cried during Emmy Russell's performance of her grandmother Loretta Lynn's 'Coal Miner's Daughter' and visibly showed emotion during elimination decisions, audience members reported she "acted very cold" and "would not sign any autographs or take any photos with them" during breaks, as per The Mirror. The contrast became even more apparent compared to her fellow judges, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, who were much more engaging with the crowd. Bryan and Richie even stood up during breaks to take selfies and sign everything from posters to sneakers, creating a noticeable difference in how they interacted with the audience compared to Perry’s more distant approach.

Though she was allegedly standoffish at times, Perry wasn't always so sour with the audience members. During one break in filming, the singer shocked onlookers when she started throwing snacks from her personal stash underneath the judges' table. "She threw a bag of popcorn, and then a bag of Sour Patch Kids, and then a chocolate bar," the source said, adding Perry kept a bag of 'Cool Ranch Doritos' to munch on between takes, as per The Sun.

The timing of those revelations is all the more intriguing given that Perry announced in February that she was leaving 'American Idol' after seven seasons. In her 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' appearance, she revealed her reason for leaving the show, saying, "I love 'Idol' so much, it's connected me with the heart of America. But I feel like I need to go out to feel that pulse of my own beat." She mentioned that her headlining performance at September's Rock in Rio festival in Brazil is one of the key reasons she's stepping away.

As the show continued, Perry finally "caved in and walked to three different groups in the audience to take selfies," but this was only towards the very end of the three-hour taping. She also granted one exception during the broadcast to give an autographed notecard to a relative of a contestant. The incident has again thrown up questions about celebrity interactions with their fans, especially now that Perry's time on 'American Idol' is slowly ending. While the search for her replacement continues, host Ryan Seacrest has acknowledged there are "a few people at the top of that short list that could be great," though no official announcement has been made regarding who will fill her position for the next season, as per E! News.