Ladies, take note — there’s room for all of us to be a success and to lift each other up along the way. Despite the fact that she could have chosen to be “bitter,” Paula Abdul is applauding Katy Perry‘s Idol paycheck. Is it reportedly much larger than the salary she received as one of the reality singing competition’s original judges? Probably. Does that bother Abdul, though? Nope! She seems legitimately happy for (and proud of) Perry.
Abdul appeared on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen on Wednesday night, where a fan called in with a two-part question for the “Straight Up” singer: “Have you ever watched an episode of the American Idol reboot, and what did you think of Katy Perry getting $25 million for judging?” Without missing a beat, Abdul enthusiastically replied, “Well good for her! Good for her, why not?”
When an obviously impressed Cohen interjected, “Good for you, for not being bitter about it,” Abdul deadpanned, “I take it out on my chihuahuas behind-the-scenes.” The iconic performer then elaborated that she had seen a few episodes of the new show. “Both Katy and Lionel are friends, and I love them,” she said, coyly adding, “And I’d like to know Luke.” Um, ‘scuse us, was she always this funny? Our Abdul appreciation just grew even stronger.
All joking aside, though, the kind of solidarity and female empowerment embedded in Abdul’s comments about Perry’s salary are precisely what women need right now. Well, always, obviously. But particularly during this transitional time in Hollywood when women are pushing for gender parity on so many levels — and, not surprisingly, seeing some pushback as they make progress.
And who knows? Maybe that solidarity between Abdul and Perry will translate into Abdul finding her way back to Idol in some capacity. When the original judges reunited back in September on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Abdul admitted, “It was magical. It was as if we had never left. The chemistry is undeniable, and that’s what made it always special. You can’t manufacture that.”
While we’ll always be fans of Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson together, we can’t say we’d be upset if Perry pulled up a chair at the rebooted judge’s panel for Abdul.
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