'I have found a lot of ways to be incredibly grateful.'
Katy Perry is finding the bright side to spending her pregnancy in quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic. ET's Rachel Smith spoke with the 35-year-old singer and her fellow American Idol judges, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, via Zoom, and the mom-to-be opened up about the "necessary balance" she's found during these challenging times.
"This time has brought in a lot of balance, probably necessary balance," she says. "It's actually good for me to prep this kind of mindset, because even after quarantine is done and everyone goes out and celebrates, I'll be probably still at home."
"The crazy thing is everyone's drinking during quarantine, and I'm, like, not. Like, help me," she jokes.
Perry has been spending the quarantine with her fiancé, Orlando Bloom, with whom she's expecting her first child.
"I have found a lot of ways to be incredibly grateful and to bond with my family on a deeper level than I ever have," she says. "Rather than just a vacation or a holiday, there's a new foundation that is being laid within families, between partners. I just think people that are quarantined together will never forget this time."
The singer is also grateful for Bryan and Richie, with whom she has "a little sidebar chat [where] we check in with each other."
"We remembered actually Lionel telling us if the apocalypse ever happens -- this was, like, a couple seasons ago -- just meet me at my house or this special place," Perry recalls. "And so early on in quarantine times, I checked in with Lionel and I was like, 'Are we still good for that? Can we come over?'"
In all seriousness, though, Bryan said that each of the judges has been "kind of looking after each other, looking after each other's families, like friends do" amid COVID-19.
"We actually do like each other... We do cover each other's back," Richie agrees. "Because remember, when we first started, we didn't have the team thing 'cause we didn't know what it was like... Once I realized what I had between the two of them, oh my god. The rest was off to the races. It's been a good marriage."
Despite the challenges that come with stay-at-home orders and social-distancing guidelines, American Idol managed to return with a new episode on Sunday, when the top 20 contestants performed from their quarantine locations.
"I just feel so blessed with my fellow judges to be able to bring some joy somewhere, because these are tough times," Richie says. "I must tell you, the first responders, I just can't tell you how brave they are and have to be."
"For us to be doing what we're doing and uplifting these kids, and also uplifting America, I'm very proud of what we're doing," he adds.
American Idol airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
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