Ryan Seacrest Reportedly At War With Katy Perry Over ‘American Idol’ Salary Difference

Ryan Seacrest is reportedly annoyed by the supposed fact that he’s making $15 million less than what Katy Perry will be earning once she starts taping for the forthcoming American Idol reboot.

The show, which will premiere on ABC in 2018, will start shooting the audition stages later this year, but according to Celeb Dirty Laundry, Ryan Seacrest is finding it hard to accept that the “Roar” singer is pocketing a stunning $25 million while he’s expected to make no more than $10 million.

Sources tell the outlet that with Ryan Seacrest hosting American Idol since the very beginning, he would have expected to make more than the amount ABC had offered him.

On top of that, Seacrest will continue to host Live with Kelly and Ryan, which is being taped in New York, evidently meaning that Seacrest will fly back and forth to Los Angeles to handle his duties for both jobs. But for $10 million, the executive producer of Keeping Up with the Kardashians wonders whether it’s worth it.

“Ryan has been with ‘American Idol’ since day one. Surely, he believes that he should be making more money, if not at least the same amount that Katy will be making,” Celeb Dirty Laundry speculates. “A lot of Ryan’s fans can’t help but wonder how he’ll manage to juggle his multiple projects.”

Katy signing for $25 million has made her the highest-paid female judge on American Idol, consequently leaving the remaining budget for the second and third judge very low, sources allege.

Producers are hoping to sign Lionel Richie on for the forthcoming series, TMZ reports, but they are strongly hoping that his demands and salary won’t exceed the $5 million that they would be willing to offer the singer, considering the fact that Ryan Seacrest and Perry have already acquired $35 million combined.

ABC is strongly hoping that once the show makes its debut next year, it will be bigger and better than ever before. There have been talks about revamping the format to bring fresh ideas to the program, but it’s too early to point at what will change and what will remain the same.

What’s been confirmed so far is that Katy and Ryan Seacrest will be on the show for its upcoming series, with Lionel currently in talks to join the duo.

ABC is expected to release another statement regarding the additional judges along with a premiere date for the show’s official return.

Still, the question begs whether fans are even interested in watching American Idol again.

[Featured Image by Rich Fury/Getty Images]