“American Idol” recently suffered a significant blow when judge Katy Perry announced she’s leaving the show at the end of the current season. 

Fans could still sleep peacefully, though, knowing that her fellow judges, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, were not going anywhere.

But now there are rumors that the two men are not getting along. Bryan chose to set the record straight during a recent appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

Kimmel inquired if recent headlines he’d seen about Bryan and Richie feuding over Perry’s replacement were accurate. 

“I heard rumors, and these are tabloid rumors, that you and Lionel are feuding… Is there any truth to that?” he asked the country star.

“Yeah, me and Lionel – it’s tense on the set,” Bryan said sarcastically. “You know Lionel, how combative he is. 

You saw how awful he was on ‘The Greatest Night in Pop,’ you know how he just tried to ruin that whole scenario.”

“I read the tabloid,” Bryan admitted, “And I’m like, ‘Me and Lionel in a feud over Katy’s replacement…’ You can’t feud with Lionel. Lionel’s like – I mean he’s like apple pie. You know, he’s like the most wholesome human. So me and Lionel are good.”

Bryan also revealed if he and Richie have any influence in hiring a new judge. “Not really, we let the smart people do that,” he told Kimmel. “We just show up and judge the talent and have fun.”

In February, Perry confirmed during an appearance on Kimmel’s show that she would be exiting “American Idol.” At the time, Perry said Bryan and Richie would learn of her exit when they watched her appearance. “They know that I have some things planned for this year,” she added. “So it’s going to be a very, very exciting year… for all popstar girlies!”

Perry has been advocating for musician Jelly Roll to take her spot next season.

Bryan said he had an inkling Perry was going to leave the show. “She had hinted to me – a little bit,” Bryan confirmed to Kimmel.

“Then maybe she hadn’t told Lionel, is that possible?” Kimmel asked.

“Well, Lionel is such a father figure, you know how it’s really hard to sit your dad down and tell him things,” Bryan noted.

Richie, Perry and Bryan have served as judges on “American Idol” since the reboot of the show in 2018.

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Source: The Wall Street Journal