Luke Bryan Reveals He's Had A 'Rough Year,' Wants More Family Time

Luke Bryan recently admitted that his 2023 has been "rough," and it's been hard to balance his life. The country music star and "American Idol" judge shared that he told his wife, Caroline, he needs a vacation by year-end.

Bryan's statements come amid rumors that Katy Perry may leave "American Idol" because of controversies and backlash over her judging style on the show.

Keep on reading to learn more.

Luke Bryan recently spoke with Entertainment Tonight and shared that he's had a difficult 2023. The "American Idol" judge revealed that he's planning to allocate more time for his family with his wife, Caroline, and sons, Bo and Tate.

The country music star shared that balancing his career and family time has been hard. He said, "I'm not balancing it well this year." Bryan also stated that he's spoken to Caroline about the rough year he's had so far.

He told her, "Baby, this is a rough year; let's just get through it, and then we'll find a boat and go to the Caribbean." When the interviewer replied that Bryan "always said that," he laughed and responded that Caroline said the same thing.

Bryan's statements about his "rough year" come amid the controversy affecting fellow "American Idol" judge Katy Perry. Perry has been under social media backlash and is rumored to be considering leaving the TV show.

Bryan spoke on the backlash in a conversation with Fox News, saying, "Katy Perry's been dealing with stuff like that her whole career. We all get it… We're judging kids that people at home fall in love with. We're not going to bat 1,000 as judges."

The country music star also talked about the pressure of being a judge on the show, stating that they get "set up" to be attacked by the fan base on social media. "I think we get set up. As judges, you know, we kinda fall on the sword many times," Bryan noted.

"And get set up where people can get very vocal on socials. 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."

Earlier this month, former "American Idol" star Oliver Steele came to Perry's defense from the backlash. Critics accused the singer of bullying contestants with her judge's remarks after performances.

Steele was a finalist on season 21 and made an Instagram post claiming that Perry isn't a "bully, nor does she shame people." During an interview on the "American Idol Unaired" podcast, he also called the "Dark Horse" singer a "wonderful person" and said she silently pushed him to improve himself. 

Steele's remarks on Perry come after a source revealed to the Daily Mail that she feels the show's producers had "thrown her under the bus." According to the report, she thinks they portrayed her in episodes as the "nasty judge" to contestants.

The source said, "She went into it thinking she would foster young talent. For her good intentions to be misinterpreted, it was not what she wanted. She has accomplished so much in her career and is now being looked at as a nasty reality show judge."

They added that Perry was "distraught" by fans booing her, especially because she's only "trying to stay in her lane, do her job, and go home." The insider explained that the singer has "wanted out for some time now" and is considering leaving the role, which pays an estimated $25 million annually.

Perry has battled multiple controversies regarding her treatment of "American Idol" contestants. One such incident was when the "Fireworks" singer allegedly ashamed Sara Beth Liebe by saying the contestant was "laying on the table too much."

At the time, Liebe spoke about Perry's "hurtful" comments on TikTok and said, "I think that it's hard enough to be a mom, and it's hard enough to be a woman." The singer eventually left the competition early to be at home with her children and, on Instagram, said she wasn't upset with Perry.

Perry also got backlash because of her treatment of contestants Nutsa Buzaladze and Carina DeAngelo. During the show's Hollywood Week showcase, the singer told both of them their performances were underwhelming.

Amid the controversies, a source spoke to Page Six and said the singer has a "unique sense of humor." They said Perry's humor can be easily misconstrued but "never has any ill intent." They added, "The backlash doesn't faze Katy. This has been a roller-coaster season with great talent, so she is just doing her job."