Luke Bryan Defends Carrie Underwood After She Was Booed on ‘American Idol’

Luke Bryan is coming to the defense of his fellow American Idol judge Carrie Underwood after she was booed by fans on the show last month.

The country star stepped in to reassure Underwood during Wednesday’s episode of the American Idol Official Podcast after host Danielle Fishel asked the “Before He Cheats” singer her reaction to the strong audience reaction to her questioning a contestant’s choice to perform an original song during part two of Hollywood Week in Music City.

“You gave some very constructive criticism about some moments that you thought were very magical and then maybe some moments where it wasn’t so good, and you got booed,” Fishel, 44, said to Underwood, 43, who candidly replied, “I don’t care.”

“I can’t lie, I’m a terrible liar. As a fan of the show, if there was ever somebody that kind of had an off night and everybody’s like, ‘Oh my God, that’s so great,’ I’m sitting at home being like, ‘What? Liars!’” the Season 4 Idol winner continued. “You want them to pay attention to those things going forward. They’re obviously talented, or they wouldn’t be here right now.”

While Underwood wasn’t fazed by the negative reaction her critique received, Bryan made sure to back his co-star. “It’s tough to do as a judge,” he said on Wednesday’s podcast. “It takes a lot of confidence in yourself, and you don’t want to say something that’s going to tank them in the competition. It’s just something that they need to be thinking about if they go forward.”

Underwood acknowledged that her feedback would be unpopular during the March episode of the ABC singing competition, saying at the time, “I feel you guys are gonna boo me. It’s coming — just bring it on. I love it. Your boos are feeding me.”

She added of the song choice, “In a room like this, for you to bring an original song with that incredible band sitting behind you twiddling their thumbs … I feel like it was just a missed opportunity.”

Bryan was sure to stand up for Underwood at the time as well, reminding the crowd that the country star was the one with true expertise in the American Idol competition. “She only won this,” he said at the time. “She knows.”