Katy Perry Is Not A Bully On ‘American Idol’ Despite Her Reputation, Fellow Judge Luke Bryan Insists

Katy Perry has had some viral moments on the latest season of American Idol (the show that may or may not have started the “downfall of society,” depending on which The View host you ask). For example, she blew up on TikTok a few months ago over some fun-but-unhinged behavior. It hasn’t all been good, though, as she was accused of mom-shaming and was later booed on the show. Fellow judge Luke Bryan thinks Katy’s doing just fine, though.

In a recent Fox News interview (as People notes), Bryan said, “Katy Perry’s been dealing with stuff like that her whole career,” he said. “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.” He also noted, “I think we get set up. As judges, you know, we kinda fall on the sword a lot of times, and get set up to where people can get very vocal on socials and stuff. 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.”

He continued, “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. It makes me appreciate her even more, just how big of a scale she’s had to deal with that her whole career.”

Former contestant Oliver Steele recently came to her defense, too, writing on Instagram, “Katy is not a bully, nor does she shame people. I remember being nervous at my audition, nervous during Hollywood week, hell even nervous throughout various points in the competition. 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. 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. I’m a better musician and artist after Katy Perry pushed me to believe in my potential, and to exceed my limitations.”