Luke Bryan Defends Katy Perry From 'American Idol' Backlash

Luke Bryan is stepping up to defend fellow American Idol judge Katy Perry after accusations of bullying arose from various comments she made to contestants in Season 21. Bryan assured that the "Roar" singer is used to shaking off negativity in a new interview with Fox News, but noted that he, Perry and Lionel Richie are often put in a tough place when it comes to actually judging the contestants to whom people grow so attached.

"Katy Perry's been dealing with stuff like that her whole career," the "One Margarita" singer said. "We all get it... I mean, we're judging kids that people at home fall in love with. We're not gonna bat a thousand as judges." The country star noted that as judges, the panel has to "kinda fall on the sword a lot of times," explaining, "My thing is, I think when me and Lionel and Katy sit down at the desk, in our hearts, we're doing the best we can."

Perry received backlash in Season 21 after joking that Sara Beth Liebe – a mother of three – had been "laying on the table too much." Liebe would go on to accuse Perry, a mother to 2-year-old daughter Daisy Dove with Orlando Bloom, of "mom-shaming" her in a TikTok video, although she would later go on to express her gratitude toward the show and toward Perry.

When it comes to moments like the one with Liebe, Bryan weighed in, "Katy gets picked on for going out and trying to have fun making a TV show. You can't be so safe in the moment that you're so homogenized, you can't ever go for a joke. Or go for a fun moment. Sometimes you just gotta say stuff. It may be my year next year." He continued, "It makes me appreciate her even more, just how big of a scale she's had to deal with that her whole career."

Perry also was defended by Season 21 contestant Oliver Steele amid the backlash. "Katy is not a bully, nor does she shame people," he wrote. "Katy has an incredible ability to not just tell what emotional state you're in, but to be able to tell what's holding you back. I love all the judges, but Katy always seemed to be able to look into my soul and tell exactly what was troubling me, or what it was I was struggling with."

Steele continued, "It's one thing to teach someone to believe in their ability, which the judges are fabulous at. Katy reminded me to believe in who I am as an artist. She challenged me to push myself, to take on challenges that made me uncomfortable." The contestant said he felt like "a better musician and artist after Katy Perry pushed me to believe in my potential, and to exceed my expectations."