"I Was 70% Against It To Start": This American Idol Judge Reveals The Shocking Reason That They Didn't Want To Do The Show

American Idol season 23 judge Luke Bryan revealed that he originally didn't want to be on the show, but his superstar friends, Blake Shelton and Keith Urban convinced him to do it. When ABC revived American Idol in 2018 after FOX canceled the show in 2016, Luke was chosen to be on the judging panel alongside Lionel Richie and Katy Perry. They worked together for seven seasons before Katy left the show to focus on her own music career again. For American Idol season 23, sesaon 4 winner Carrie Underwood has taken Katy's place as a judge.

Luke admitted that he didn't want to be an American Idol judge when the show first contacted him to take on the role.

In an interview on Bobby Bones' Bobbycast podcast, Luke admitted that he didn't want to be an American Idol judge when the show first contacted him to take on the role. Luke shared, "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." He added that they'd already seen some headlines that the show was being revived, and had already signed on Katy as a judge.

Luke confessed, "So they reached out to my manager and I must say, I was 70% against it to start." He explained that, at that moment, he was "at the height of [playing] stadiums," and he didn't want to lose his "mental focus." Luke added, "Life was so good just being [a country music singer]."

Luke went on to say that he didn't want to go to Los Angeles or New York and "do this meeting that I don’t want to do." However, an executive from ABC and one from American Idol's production company, Fremantle, flew to Florida to meet him instead. Luke recalled, "They started pitching it and I told them, 'I’m really probably not interested.'" He added that he found it "funny" that they didn’t realize that he was playing sold-out shows in stadiums, so he didn't need the money at the time.

However, Luke asked his friends Blake Shelton, who was a mentor on The Voice, and Keith Urban, who was an American Idol judge from seasons 12 through 15, for advice. He shared, "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." Luke added, "Those are two guys that I love and trust." Luke said that he and his manager then threw out a "crazy number" for his salary, laughing as he said, "D***it, they paid it."

I must say, I was 70% against it to start.

What Luke Bryan's Initial Rejection of American Idol Means

Luke Now Loves Being An American Idol Judge

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Even though Luke was initially hesitant to join American Idol, he clearly loves his job as a judge now. He settled into the role easily, not only giving constructive criticism to the contestants, but also entertaining everyone with his silly personality and incredible performances. Luke has done a phenomenal job as a judge for the past seven seasons.

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Luke had a great rapport with Lionel and Katy, and the first episode of the show with Carrie proved that he gets along very well with her too. He's the perfect American Idol judge because he's so likable. The fact that Luke has stayed with the show for eight seasons means that he made the right choice, even though he didn't want to do it at first.

Our Take On Luke Bryan's Hesitance To Join American Idol

It's Fantastic That Luke Changed His Mind

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Although Luke was unsure about joining American Idol at first, I'm so glad that he changed his mind. I can't imagine the show without him, and he's done such a wonderful job. I'm so happy that he sought the advice of Blake and Keith, who clearly loved their time as judges on their shows, because they gave him great advice that steered him in the right direction.

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Luke was at the height of his success when he first joined American Idol, and being a judge on the show hasn't changed his status as one of country music's superstars. In fact, it probably gave him an even bigger audience. I was surprised to hear that Luke didn't want to be an American Idol judge at first because he's so good at it. I hope that he'll stay with the show for a long time to come.

American Idol airs Sundays at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC.

Source: Bobbycast