Katy Perry breaks down on American Idol: ‘Our country has f***ing failed us!’

The singer burst into tears in an emotional tirade after a contestant shared a devastating story on American Idol.

Katy Perry broke down on Australian Idol.

Singer Katy Perry broke down on the set of American Idol after an emotional audition by a mass-shooting survivor.

What started as a normal audition for 21-year-old Trey Louis took an emotional turn when the Texan wowed the judges with his cover of the 2016 song Stone by Whiskey Myers, New York Post reports.

Following a standing ovation from all three judges, Louis, who works as a mattress salesperson, revealed that he was a survivor of the 2018 mass shooting at Santa Fe High School in New Mexico, in which eight students and two teachers were killed.

“[I] lost a lot of friends,” said the singer, who said the alleged gunman opened fire in the classroom next to his before coming into his art class. “It’s just really been negative, and Santa Fe’s had a bad rap since 2018.”

Perry broke down.

All three judges appeared affected by his statement, and while Luke Bryan praised Louis’ vocals and big heart, Perry, 38, fell forward onto the table.

“Our country has f***ing failed us!” she said as she cried, prompting a carefully composed Louis to acknowledge the statement, simply saying, “Facts.” Perry then responded: “This is not OK.”

Trey Louis survived a school shooting in Santa Fe in 2018.

“You should be singing here because you love music, not because you had to go through that f***ing bulls**t,” Perry said through tears. “You don’t have to lose eight friends. I hope that you remind people that we have to change. ’Cause, you know, I’m scared, too.”

Her fellow judges were also shaken up by the story.

Her co-judges Bryan and Lionel Richie, who were also choked up, attempted to console Perry with outstretched arms.

“It’s terrible, Katy. Horrible,” Louis responded to Perry.

“We have tolerated this for so long, too long. It’s become the norm,” said a teary Richie.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been 92 mass shootings in the US in 2023 alone.

Last week, the accused Santa Fe gunman, 22-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis, was again ruled incompetent to stand trial ahead of the fifth anniversary of the May 18, 2018 shooting.

After his performance, Idol wannabe Louis was given a unanimous “yes” to move to the next round and all three judges gave the rising star a hug.

This article originally appeared in the New York Post and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Katy Perry breaks down on American Idol: ‘Our country has f***ing failed us!’