Luke Bryan wasn’t interested in ‘American Idol’ — then came the unexpected pitch that made him say yes
'American Idol' has remained a fan favorite since its debut in 2002, producing chart-topping stars and unforgettable moments. With Season 23 wrapping up recently and Jamal Roberts taking home the title, the show continues to draw millions of viewers every year. While the judging panel has evolved over time, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie have been familiar faces since the ABC revival. But in a recent appearance on Bobby Bones' Bobbycast podcast, Bryan admitted he was initially reluctant to join the show until one surprising twist changed everything.
"I’m at my beach house, and my manager, Carrie, she calls me and says, ‘We’ve been contacted about the reboot of 'American Idol.' We had already seen some headlines around Katy Perry; they signed Katy, and you knew the show was coming back, so they reached out to my manager, and I must say, I was 70% against it." Bryan continued to add "At that moment, I was at the height of stadiums and didn't want to get my mental focus going down."
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Needless to say, Bryan's career was flourishing as a country music artist. He stated how he didn't want to go to Los Angeles or New York to do a meeting he didn't want to do, as reported by Screen Rant. However, the executives were persistent, so they flew in to meet Bryan to pitch the show to him. "They started pitching it, and I told them, 'I’m really probably not interested.' What's funny is that they have no idea about Luke Bryan. They don't know I'm doing soldout stadiums and double amphitheaters." Since Bryan was hesitant to accept the offer, he went back home and called his friends, Blake Shelton and Keith Urban.
Blake Shelton had been a coach on 'The Voice' for 23 seasons, while Urban was a judge on 'Idol' for four seasons. Bryan stated, "Those are two guys that I love and trust," as he continued to say, "I called Blake, and we had a great talk ... he was like, ‘Luke, TV opens up another domain and dynamic.' And I called Keith, and he said, Man, he had loved it." Bryan then stated how 'Idol' agreed to his "crazy" salary demands: "I threw them out a number, and damn it, they paid it."
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As stated by Bryan, the country singer was at the peak of his career when 'American Idol' contacted him. He released 'What Makes You Country,' his sixth studio album, in December of 2017. Bryan then went on to go on a 'What Makes You Country' tour across America. The tour began in February of 2018 and lasted up until October of 2018. All this while, Bryan was also continuing his farm tour, where he performed in rural areas to celebrate farmers.