Luke Bryan Defends Katy Perry From Critics After American Idol Backlash

Luke Bryan is not biting his tongue when it comes to supporting Katy Perry.

The country music singer recently gave his take on the criticism his fellow American Idol judge received this past season. 

"When it comes down to are fans too hard on Katy, you know, listen, Katy Perry's been dealing with stuff like that her whole career," Luke recently told reporters at CMA Fest as seen in a video shared by Fox News. "We all get it." 

And given their position, he said fans might not be happy with him, Katy or fellow judge Lionel Richie all the time.

"We're judging kids that people at home fall in love with. So, we're not gonna bat a thousand. We're not gonna bat a thousand as judges," the "One Margarita" artist continued. "We're gonna send a kid through that may get controversial. As judges, we kinda fall on the sword a lot of times and get set up to where people can get very vocal on socials and stuff."

But ultimately, Luke noted they give the job their all.

"My thing is I think when me and Lionel and Katy sit down at the desk, in our hearts, we're doing the best we can," he shared. "You know, Katy gets picked on for going out and trying to have fun making a TV show. You can't be so safe in the moment that you're so homogenized you can't ever go for a joke or go for a fun moment. Sometimes, you just gotta say stuff. When you roll the dice on TV like that, however it gets perceived. It may be my year next year."

Luke said they're "conditioned" for this kind of reaction and added, "It makes me appreciate her even more just how big of a scale she's had to deal with that her whole career."

Katy came under fire several times during season 21 of the competition series. She was accused of mom shaming contestant and mother of three Sara Beth Liebe after she told her she's "been laying on the table too much" and was booed after she told competitor Nutsa Buzaladze to wear less glitter.

However, contestant Oliver Steele recently defended the "Firework" singer, writing on Instagram, "Katy is not a bully, nor does she shame people."

For her part, Katy has not said anything publicly about the criticism she's faced. However, she did praise the contestants for how far they came this season.

 "It's been emotional like a good therapy session," the "Roar" artist told E! News in May about this past season. "Just to see these kids, young people—younger than me—just grow and get what they came for. Even if they didn't win, they got what they came for. There's something that was sparked in them that can never be put back or be not believed in."

As for Luke, he was asked about his future on the show following the conclusion of season 21, which was won by Iam Tongi. 

"As long as the vibe feels like we're onward and upward and we're getting emotionally moved and we're telling the story of kids and the American spirit and it's a show that kids can sit down and parents can cry and laugh together and have fun," he replied in the video shared by Fox News, "it's gonna be a tough show for me and Lionel and Katy to walk away from."

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