Blake Shelton Shares Throwback Photo to Wish Luke Bryan a Happy Birthday

Blake Shelton just shared a hysterical throwback photo to wish Luke Bryan a happy birthday. Bryan, who turned 43 on Tuesday, July 17, has been friends with Shelton for a long time, as evidenced by the picture Shelton posted.

“Throwback to when [Luke Bryan] wore clothes that actually fit him,” Shelton wrote. “Happy Birthday sh—head!!

Shelton might like to give Bryan a hard time, but the two superstars are actually good friends, with Bryan admitting he reached out to Shelton when he was invited to become a judge on American Idol, since Shelton has been on The Voice since 2011.

“When I found out that Idol was interested in me being a judge, certainly I called Blake, and he’s like, ‘Man, you’re going to love it. It’s right up your alley,’” Bryan told Us Weekly. “He spoke of how much he’s enjoying his role with The Voice,” Bryan recalled. “And he was right. I’ve enjoyed it. It’s a new element in your life. It’s a new challenge. It’s tackling something new, and you learn a lot about entertainment throughout the whole process.”

Bryan is also a fan of Shelton’s longtime girlfriend, Gwen Stefani, hinting that he would officiate the wedding if Shelton ever decided to propose.

“I’ll do the sermon. The sermon? The service?” Bryan joked to Entertainment Tonight. “I would be honored to marry Blake and Gwen.”

“If Blake were smart, he would marry her before she goes to an optometrist,” Bryan added with a laugh. “Every time I meet Gwen, she’s holding her phone way out here. I’m like, ‘That’s it, she can’t see!’”

Shelton was quick to return the playful jibe, insisting if he does ever tie the knot with Stefani, it won’t be Bryan who makes their marriage official.

“Luke’s not even a legitimate country artist, much less like somebody that can marry people, you know what I’m saying,” Shelton said.

Kidding aside, both Bryan and Shelton are each other’s biggest champions, on and off stage. When Shelton announced he was opening a live music venue, The Doghouse, at his Ole Red venue in Shelton’s native Oklahoma, it was Bryan who signed on to be the debut artist.

Shelton will return to The Voice this fall. The show will premiere on Sept. 23 on NBC.

Photo Credit: Getty images/Kevin Winter