Luke, 48, and\u00a0Carrie, 42, have known each other for decades as they both call Nashville,\u00a0Tennessee\u00a0home and regularly see each other at award shows and industry events.<\/p>\n
Carrie has made quite a splash as the\u00a0newest season 23 judge\u00a0and while many viewers love the fresh perspective she brings, others feel her new gig just \u201cisn\u2019t working out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite all of the ups and downs with her new high-profile role, there\u2019s one person who has been a constant support by her side.<\/p>\n
According to a production insider, Luke has been \u201cchampioning\u201d Carrie behind the scenes and will stick up for her and her ideas if he feels she\u2019s not being supported.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cLuke is her biggest fan and always has her back if he hears something said about her or she\u2019s not getting something.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s always stepping in to help when she\u2019s struggling or to defend her if someone\u2019s not happy with her.<\/p>\n
\u201cLionel seems to enjoy Carrie as well but it\u2019s Luke who really seems to stick up for her the most,\u201d the source claimed.<\/p>\n
Luke\u2019s support comes after a source claimed that crew members on the show feel\u00a0Carrie\u2019s influence\u00a0has been \u201cruining\u201d the legacy of the show.<\/p>\n
\u201cThings started great with her but the longer she\u2019s been a judge, the more feathers she has ruffled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe crew thought at first she was nervous and distant but I think she\u2019s just cold,\u00a0even if that\u2019s not her intention.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt still hasn\u2019t clicked with her that this is a worldwide franchise with hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars on the line,\u201d they claimed.<\/p>\n
COUNTRY ROADS<\/h2>\n
While Luke and\u00a0Carrie\u00a0go way back, it appears that they didn\u2019t form a closer friendship until\u00a0American Idol\u00a0brought them together.<\/p>\n
Speaking about being joined by the Before He Cheats singer, Luke opened up about their experience together.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarrie and I had always been in the business together, but we never spent much time together.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo to sit behind the desk and watch her really learn how to transition out of being the winner of American Idol and a superstar to being the judge at the table, she\u2019s doing good,\u201d Luke said earlier this year.<\/p>\n
\u2018THE BEST SOUL AND HEART\u2019<\/h2>\n
He added: \u201cThe thing about it is Carrie has to kind of learn in real time. You kind of have to learn how to be a judge.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not like you can go to\u00a0American Idol\u00a0Judging School. So it will come with ups and downs but she\u2019s awesome with the kids.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe has the best soul and heart. She\u2019s doing a great job and really settling into the judging table.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen she has to say \u2018No\u2019 she\u2019s like, \u2018I dont wanna tell them no.\u2019 But it\u2019s kind of a part [of the job].<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard when you got a kid that\u2019s young and they haven\u2019t found who they are musically.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Luke is always in\u00a0Carrie\u2019s corner, some of the crew members are allegedly more divided about how she\u2019s been performing as judge.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve heard people on set say that Carrie\u2019s influence is ruining the legacy of the show.<\/p>\n
\u201cThings started great with her this season but the longer she\u2019s been a judge, the more feathers she has ruffled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe crew thought at first she was nervous and distant but I think she\u2019s just cold,\u00a0even if that\u2019s not her intention,\u201d the source claimed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LUKE Bryan has been jumping to Carrie Underwood\u2019s defense behind the scenes on American Idol as she \u2018struggles\u2019 adapting to being a judge, a source told The… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2681,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/p>\n![\"American](\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/04\/abcs-american-idol-stars-ryan-979312573.jpg?strip=all&w=960\")
<\/p>\n