Katy Perry is reportedly on the verge of quitting "American Idol" amid fierce fan backlash.
The most recent season of the ABC show was particularly trying for Katy, as she was sometimes booed for criticizing performances. The "Firework" singer was also dragged for mom-shaming another contestant who eventually quit the show.
As this went on, Katy felt like the wasn't getting proper backing from the higher-ups.
"Katy feels like [the producers] threw her under the bus. She feels like her comments could have been removed," a source told DailMail.com. "Katy became aware of the harsh criticism. Getting booed really upset her. She was trying to stay in her lane, do her job and go home."
The source continued, "She went into ["Idol"] thinking she was going to foster young talent. For her good intentions to be misinterpreted it was not what she wanted. She has accomplished so much in her career and is now being looked at as a nasty reality show judge. Katy's wanted out for some time now, but this season was way too much for her to handle."
Should Katy choose to leave the competition show, she will be walking away from a reported $25 million-a-season contract. For the hitmaker, it's worth it.
"[Katy's decision to quit] is not a money thing," the insider said. "For her, it is starting to be more of a legacy issue. She does not want her career defined by a talent competition show where she isn't even performing."
The pop star has dealt with controversy every season, but her comments about contestant Sara Beth Liebe went viral. While finding out that 25-year-old has three children, Katy said, "Honey, you been laying on the table too much."
After the episode aired, Sara posted a video on social media to air her thoughts. "At the start of my audition before I sang, I mentioned that I had three children and was a young mother and Katy Perry made a joke that wasn't super kind," she said. "I don't have too much to say on my feelings about it because it's probably pretty self explanatory. But, I did want to take this opportunity to say that I think that women supporting and uplifting other women is so cool and I think that mom shaming is super lame."
Although Sara was advanced to the next round following that very audition, she soon left the completion to be home with her children. Fans blamed Katy for Sara's exit.