Why did Lionel Richie abruptly exit 'American Idol' set? Fans confused as ABC singing show judge falls victim of time crunch
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'American Idol' Season 22 judge Lionel Richie left the set amid last contestant Will Moseley's performance. As Will was singing, Lionel shaked his hands with the fellow judges Katy Perry and Luke Bryan and left the set.
Lionel said to Will "Yes" and asked him to keep singing. Lionel's sudden exit made the viewers wonder what was so urget that he had to left the audition round in the middle. Katy said after Will's performance, "Lionel's gone for good."
It was later revealed that Lionel had to leave immediately because he had a flight to catch. Each audition was destined to take 5 minutes, however, the audition round did not go as planned. Each contetsant took more than 5 minutes.
Falling victim of time crunch, Lionel was getting late for his flight. Amid last performance, Lionel said, "Even if it's just a moment, I want to make sure everyone gets heard."
Amid Lionel's exit, fans were left concerned. One commented, "Where did Lionel go?" Another asked, "why did lionel leave?" Furthermore, one wondered, "Why did lionel leave early?"
A fan wrote, "I’m confused by what Lionel did and how they were playing around." Another slammed the judges, "They ruined his audition."
'American Idol' Season 22: Did Will Moseley get a golden ticket?
Even thoguh Lionel interrupted Will's performance in the between, he left the set saying it was a Yes from his side. The rest of the decision was left on Katy and Luke. Before taking the finale decision, the judge face timed Lionel to ask his opinion.
Lionel said, "Will is a star. I love his voice. His voice was amazing." Katy added that they knew Will was a perfect fit for 'American Idol.' She added, "You're not going to do this for one more year, you're going to do this for rest of your life." Together with Lionel on the phone, Katy and Luke gave the golden ticket to Will.
Will Lionel Richie leave 'American Idol'?
As per the reports, Katy Perry will be leaving 'American Idol' and this has left the fellow judges Luke and Lionel at odd position. Following Katy's departure, the country singer and R&B legend were left believing that they were next in line.
Luke and Lionel believes host Ryan Crest is to blame for the changes. RadarOnline reports fellow judges accusing the host for siding up with the producers. Reportedly, ABC is looking for the new faces to take up the judge's seat.
Catch new episodes of 'American Idol' Season 22 every Sunday at 8 pm ET on ABC. The latest episodes will be available to stream next day on Hulu.
