Luke Bryan defends Katy Perry amid American Idol backlash

After an American Idol season filled with highs and lows for judge Katy Perry, her fellow judge Luke Bryan is coming to her defence.

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The Dark Horse singer has been a judge since the show’s revival in 2018, but during the most recent season, she sparked backlash among fans for various comments she made to contestants, at one point even drawing flak.

In a recent interview, Bryan praised Perry, who he said is used to shaking off negative attention. “Katy Perry’s been dealing with stuff like that her whole career,” he said, quoted by People. “We all get it. I mean, we’re judging kids that people at home fall in love with. We’re not gonna bat 1,000 as judges.”

The country star, 46, said he believes that he and Perry, 38, as well as fellow judge Lionel Richie, are often put in a tough position, as it falls to them to be critical of contestants that viewers adore.

Reportedly, Perry was the subject of some heat from viewers this season, which began during auditions, when she joked that contestant Sara Beth Liebe – a mother of three children – had been “laying on the table too much.” Liebe went on to accuse Perry of “mom-shaming” in a TikTok video, and later quit the competition, though the Firework singer tried to convince her to stay. Liebe later expressed gratitude towards the show.