American Idolfans have blamed new judge Carrie Underwood for the show’s problems, but it’s actually Luke Bryan who should be replaced.Luke has been anAmerican Idoljudge since ABC revived the showin 2018.
The original ABCAmerican Idolpanel included Luke, Lionel Richie, and Katy Perry, but season 4 winner and country music superstar Carrie Underwood replaced Katy when she left the show after seven seasons to focus on her own music career. ThroughoutAmerican Idolseason 23, the show faced a lot of criticism, especially when it came to the judges.
American Idolhasn’t announced who its judges are for season 24, but people are wondering if Carrie, Luke, and Lionel will return. Many fans felt that Carrie had a lackluster performance in her first year because she didn’t assert herself enough. Some have even called for her to be replaced. However,the real problem with the show is Luke, and he shouldn’t return forAmerican Idolseason 24.
1American Idol Judge Luke Bryan Doesn’t Offer The Contestants Much Constructive Criticism
Luke Is More Like A Cheerleader Than A Judge
Luke is a genuinely nice guy who doesn’t have a mean bone in his body.This makes him a good person, but a badAmerican Idoljudge. He doesn’t offer the contestants much constructive criticism, and he’s more like a cheerleader than a judge.
While it’s beautiful to see how much Luke supports the contestants, it’s frustrating to watch him overly praise them, especially when they could use advice from a seasoned professional music artist like him. However,Luke continuously showers the contestants with compliments and gives too many standing ovations, to the point that it all becomes meaningless.
Because Luke is so easy to please as anAmerican Idoljudge,he’s prevented Carrie from telling her true feelings to the contestants. During theAmerican Idolseason 23 auditions, Carrie worried about coming across as mean.
Throughout the season, any time she gave a negative comment to a contestant,Carrie was attacked by fans on social media, partially because she stood out so much because Luke, and also Lionel, only say positive things. This might’ve been why she eventually started to hold back.
If Luke is unable or unwilling to actually judge theAmerican Idolcontestants, then Luke needs to be replaced by someone who will.His lack of judging is ruining the integrity of the show because fans know that he’ll never tell the contestants the truth.
WhileAmerican Idolshould never go back to the days of the meanness of Simon Cowell,a judge like Randy Jackson or Harry Connick Jr. is needed on the panel because Luke is simply too nice.
2Luke Doesn’t Seem Interested In American Idol Anymore
Luke’s Critiques Have Become Repetitive
DuringAmerican Idolseason 23, Luke seemed to be phoning it in at times. His critiques have become very repetitive, and he doesn’t ever offer anything original to the contestants as far as advice is concerned.Even his jokes have become stale, including his bathroom humor and silly antics.
The only time that Luke really seemed completely invested in the season was during the Judges' Song Contest, when he had the chance to choose songs for the contestants. The finalists chose his and Lionel’s songs the most, so they tied for the win.Luke came alive in this episodebecause he had the chance to express his creativity. However, most of the time, he just seems stifled and bored on the show.
Luke has done a good job as anAmerican Idoljudge, but, eight seasons in, he’s probably feeling like things are getting stagnant. The addition of Carrie to the panel didn’t do much to liven up the show, soit’s possible that Luke is ready to move on now.American Idolshould replace him with someone who’s more enthusiastic about the show.
3Luke Has Been An American Idol Judge For Eight Seasons
The Show Is In Desperate Need Of A Change
After eightAmerican Idolseasons, it’s probably time for Luke to move on. The show is in desperate need of a change, andreplacing Katy with Carrie didn’t do much to fix its problems. This is because Katy wasn’t the judge who needed to be replaced. She brought a burst of energy to the show that’s been missing since she’s been gone.
While some people thought thatCarrie was the reason thatAmerican Idolseason 23 was a bit dulldespite the immense talent of the contestants,it was actually Luke who brought the energy levels down. Knowing that he was about to share the same tired critiques in every episode made the show tedious and boring.
It’s possible that, after eightAmerican Idolseasons, Luke’s time on the show has run its course. His gentle judging style brings down the energy of the show.American Idoleither has to change its format and require the judges to give the contestants both positive feedback and constructive criticism, or have another shakeup with the judging panel and replace Luke.
4American Idol Doesn’t Need Two Country Music Judges
Other Genres Should Be Represented On The Panel
One of the biggest reasons that Luke should leaveAmerican Idolis that the show now has two country music judges with him and Carrie. Add artist-in-residence Jelly Roll to the mix, andthere are three country stars in powerful positions on the show. AlthoughJelly Roll is known for singing other genres as well, his current domain is country.
The only other music genre represented on the judging panel right now is R&B and soul from Lionel. Carrie is also a big promoter of faith-based and gospel music, but her main genre is country. When Katy was a judge, she represented the pop music genre, which matched the original focus of the show, which was to find the next pop star. In fact, the name of the original version of the show in the UK wasPop Idol.
SomeAmerican Idolfans might be wondering why Luke should go instead of Carrie, if the show has to choose between the two country music legends. However,Carrie should be the one to stay because, not only is she the newest judge and brings a fresh perspective, but she’sAmerican Idolroyalty, and one of the most successful winners of all-time.
5American Idol Is Male-Dominated
The Show Needs Another Female Voice
American Idolonly has one female voice on the show right now, which is Carrie’s. Everyone else, including her fellow judges, Lionel and Luke, host Ryan Seacrest, and artist-in-residence Jelly Roll, is male. While the stars of the show should always be chosen based on their qualifications and not to fill a quota, representation is very important.
It’s essential for the femaleAmerican Idolcontestants to have judges to whom they can relate, andit’s time for the show to have more than one woman on the panel again. The show began with two male and one female judge, Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, and Paula Abdul. It wasn’t until season 8 that Kara DioGuardi was added to the panel, and there were finally two women as judges.This continued in season 9 when Ellen DeGeneres replaced Paula.
American Idolseasons 10 and 11 were judged by Randy, Jennifer Lopez, and Steven Tyler, but season 12 had a more balanced panel with Randy, Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj, and Keith Urban. Since then, in the ABC era of the show, the following 11 seasons have had two men and one woman on the panel. IfAmerican Idoldoes end up having to replace Luke if he leaves the show,it would be fantastic to see a woman take his place.
Luke & Carrie Have Very Different Personalities
One of the reasons that Luke struggled duringAmerican Idolseason 23 was the loss of his partner-in-crime, Katy.They were a dynamic duo who had similar silly personalities. Whether they were improvising funny tunes like the Queso Song or trying to make each other laugh during a moo-off, Katy and Luke’s outrageous antics kept everyone laughing.
Luke even taped Katy’s pants closed when they split during Hollywood Week in season 20. Their most hilarious moment was whenKaty fell out of her chairduring season 20’s Disney Night when she was dressed as Ariel fromThe Little Mermaid, and she couldn’t get up.Instead of helping her, Lukepointed and laughed at her like an older brother teasing his younger sister.
When theAmerican Idolseason 23 auditions began, it was fun to see thatCarrie, who’s known for being very quiet and reserved, could be just as zany as Katy. When she clog danced with contestant Carsen Webb, and played along with Luke’s jokes about clogging toilets, it was reminiscent of his banter with Katy. When Carrie sang heavy metal music with contestant Insite, Luke quipped that he’d seen the"Underworld of Underwood."
However, as the season progressed, it became clear thatCarrie’s personality was much more serious than Katy’s. Luke sometimes came across as being too silly when he didn’t have Katy to play off of. IfAmerican Idolkeeps Carrie as a judge, then it needs to find someone she has more chemistry with.
7Luke Should Focus On His Own Music Career
Luke Is A Country Music Superstar
Luke is a country music superstarwho’s at the top of his game, so he should focus on his own music career now. After giving eight seasons to theAmerican Idolhopefuls and helping them to shape their careers,it’s time for him to leave the judging table and give his own music the attention it deserves.
Since Luke became anAmerican Idoljudge, he’s only released two studio albums, 2020’sBorn Here Live Here Die Hereand 2024’sMind of a Country Boy. Before that, he’d released an album every two years from 2007-2017. Luke has toured consistently throughout his time onAmerican Idol, and he even had a Las Vegas residency. However, the show interrupts his ability to freely perform whenever he wants.
When Katy leftAmerican Idol, she released a new album,143, and went on a world tour calledThe Lifetimes Tour. Exiting the show gave her the freedom to explore new things, and she even took a trip to space on a Blue Origin flight as part of the first all-female crew.Luke should leaveAmerican Idolso that he can achieve more of his own life goals.
8Luke Never Wanted To Be An American Idol Judge In The First Place
Luke Originally Said No To The Show
Although Luke has come to love his job as anAmerican Idoljudge, he never wanted to do it in the first place. In an interview on Bobby Bones’Bobbycastpodcast,Luke admitted that he didn’t want to be anAmerican Idoljudge when the show first contacted him to take on the role. Luke shared that he was"70% against it to start."
Luke stated that 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].“He also revealed that he didn’t need the money. However, after consulting with his good friends, formerAmerican Idoljudge Keith Urban andThe Voicementor Blake Shelton, he was convinced that he should do the show.
Luke confessed that he and his managerthrew out a"crazy number"for his salary, and he laughed as he said,“D***it, they paid it.“Luke is still at the top of his game, and perhaps now is the time for him to leave the show and put his focus back on his music career like he planned to do all along.
Luke has brought a lot toAmerican Idolin the past eight seasons, but his time on the show has run its course, and it’s time for him to be replaced. Fans have been blaming Carrie for some of the problems with the show in the last year, but choosing someone new to take Luke’s place might actually be the right solution. It’s time for Luke to move on fromAmerican Idol.
