Katy Perry Suffers Wardrobe Malfunction When Top Breaks During Live Taping Of ‘American Idol’: “It’s A Family Show”

By Samantha Nungesser Twitter @samjnungesser
Published April 16, 2024, 9:00 a.m. ET

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Katy Perry nearly bared it all on Monday night’s (April 15) live taping of American Idol. The pop star, who has been judging the hit singing competition show since 2018, suffered a wardrobe malfunction when her top busted mid-broadcast.

Perry was in the middle of clapping for contestant Roman Collins, who has just performed James Brown‘s “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World,” when her custom Kate Barton top came undone.

“I need my top to stay on,” she said in a behind-the-scenes clip she later shared on her social media accounts. “If it’s not fixed, this show is gonna get more than it wanted.”

The star’s co-judge Luke Bryan then attempted to move things along, grabbing a set of pliers to help pin Perry’s top back together. But after taking one look at the fiasco, he swiftly backed away and opted to leave it to the professionals.

When the show returned from commercial break, Perry hid under her desk and covered her chest with a pillow, prompting Bryan to call out, “Ratings. Here we come ratings,” and Lionel Richie to add, “I love ratings!”

Perry then joked, “That song broke my top off. I guess it is a woman’s world! … It’s a family show.”

The judges caught up with Entertainment Tonight after the taping, where Richie blamed the snafu on Bryan.

“Luke knocked the top off, I’ll tell you all the truth,” he claimed. “And then Luke spent the rest of the time going, ‘I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.’ But he was definitely apologetic and then he tried to put it back together and that looked worse than the whole thing.”

Fortunately, there were no hard feeling. Perry described the mishap as “a moment for television.”

“Yeah, he’s always setting me up,” she joked of the country singer. “It wasn’t really a malfunction. It was just a moment for television. Every season it seems I rip my pants … I think it’s the physical comedy, the physical expression side of me that just wants to burst at the seams.” 

Fans will have to soak up all the hilarious moments while they can, since Perry revealed earlier this year that this will be her final season judging American Idol.

“I love Idol so much. It’s connected me with the heart of America, but I feel like I need to go out and feel that pulse to my own beat,” she said on a February episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live. “I love the show so much but I wanna go and see the world and maybe bring new music.”

American Idol airs on Sunday and Monday nights at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.