Here’s Why Katy Perry Broke Down In Tears On ‘American Idol’

While many of us know Katy Perry to be a bold and daring performer and fierce judge on American Idol, she’s still human at the end of the day, as she showed in a beautifully vulnerable moment shared with two pregnant contestants on the singing competition show over the weekend. The pop superstar teared up when speaking about motherhood and her lifelong struggle with self-acceptance in a relatable and widely appreciated scene on the series. Pass us the tissues, we need them too after watching this!

On Sunday’s episode of American Idol, contestant Sam Moss revealed that she was four months pregnant. She was paired up with fellow pregnant contestant Haley Slaton (who had been expecting since her initial audition) for a powerful duet that made every judge—including Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan—emotional. Before their impassioned rendition of Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own,” the two contestants met with Perry for advice and suggestions in preparation.

Perry asked the two contestants to meet with her before hitting the stage, and their discussion left the singer in tears. “My lifelong thing is I’m never enough,” she shared with the fellow singers. “Then I had my baby and it was like…” The “Teenage Dream” hitmaker then began to cry and added, “I had my baby and I had all the love that I never felt like I ever had. It was just like, ‘Phew, there it is. I don’t need anyone’s validation anymore. I’m going to do it because I love it, but it’s pure love.'”

Perry welcomed her first child, Daisy Dove Bloom, with partner Orlando Bloom in August of 2020 and she has been open with her fans in the past about her experiences— from giving birth to raising the toddler. The two contestants were visibly touched by Perry’s vulnerability, and spoke about their own experiences with motherhood and what they hoped for their future children. Before their heart-rending, beautiful performance, the two joked that their duo name would be the “Watermelon Smugglers.”

Since only one singer could progress to the next round, Perry revealed that it would be  Moss, but acknowledged how incredible Slaton’s vocals were as well before giving her other kind compliments. With tears in both of their eyes, Perry said to Slaton, “I know you’re going to be a great mother. And I also know you’re never going to give up on your dreams.” All we can say, after hearing the powerful performance, seeing Perry share such a raw, relatable story and hearing about the two singers’ journeys is wow! Watch the moving clip here.