American Idol suffers huge backstage shakeup after ‘hurtful’ HR investigation
AMERICAN Idol has said goodbye to one of its longstanding members.
American Idol let the Executive in Charge of Production go, just before a major panel change.
Wylleen May had worked on the show for 22 years before she was let go, according to Deadline.
"It is hard to express the gratitude I have to the team at Fremantle and American Idol, the place I knew as home for the last 22 years.
"It may sound cliche, but it was my absolute honor to work day in and day out with people I consider to be some of the most talented, dedicated, and devoted in the business. I will miss you terribly," she said to the outlet.
The television producer continued, "That being said, I am sad to be leaving. I will forever cherish my time with Idol, and hope I am remembered for my experience, passion, and dedication to my role.
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"All we want for ourselves is to know that our work had a lasting impact. I am excited for my next journey, and what that will bring.
"Sometimes you need a little push forward, and I am grateful for all of it... beginning, middle, and end," Wylleen continued.
Next, Wylleen spoke about an HR issue that forced her to leave the hit game show.
"Unfortunately, my exit has been the subject of hurtful speculation and innuendo," she said.
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"Yes, at the end of 2023, I was the subject of an HR investigation following a complaint about how I interacted with certain members of my team. I fully and completely cooperated with this investigation, and it was closed quickly without any action taken."
Wylleen concluded, "The decision to move on from me to a new EIC is not related, and any implication otherwise is completely misleading and inaccurate."
BIGGER AND BETTER?
Alongside behind-the-scenes Wylleen, celebrity coach Katy Perry, 39, has made her exit.
The star announced the end of her American Idol journey on February 12 on Jimmy Kimmel Live! , and had her final episode at the end of Season 22 in May.
An anonymous source said that Katy wanted to focus on her daughter, Daisy Dove Bloom, 3.
Who are the past American Idol winners?
The previous American Idol winners include:
Kelly Clarkson (2002)
Ruben Studdard (2003)
Fantasia Barrino (2004)
Carrie Underwood (2005)
Taylor Hicks (2006)
Jordin Sparks (2007)
David Cook (2008)
Kris Allen (2009)
Lee DeWyze (2010)
Scotty McCreery (2011)
Phillip Phillips (2012)
Candice Glover (2013)
Caleb Johnson (2014)
Nick Fradiani (2015)
Trent Harmon (2016)
Maddie Poppe (2018)
Laine Hardy (2019)
Just Sam (2020)
Chayce Beckham (2021)
Noah Thompson (2022)
Iam Tongi (2023)
They also hinted that Katy might want to grow her family, and welcome a second child with her fiancé Orlando Bloom, 47.
The couple already shares one daughter, Daisy Dove Bloom, 3.
'THE WORST'
Beside her rumored family goals, many fans accurately predicted that Katy would use her new free time to make new music.
Unfortunately, many of Katy's loyal fans thought that her new music wasn't good enough.
The star teased one of her new songs on social media, and she was quickly slated for the leak.
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"The new snippet of Katy Perry's latest single sounds like an autotuned Real Housewife release so kinda terrible and kinda camp," one person said.
"New Katy Perry snippet is the worst thing I’ve ever heard," a second slammed.
