Luke Bryan Takes Shots At Longtime Friend Blake Shelton On 'Late Night With Seth Meyers'
Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton have a competitive friendship. The two country singers have traded jabs at each other for years.
Luke Strikes On 'Late Night'
On Tuesday, March 6, Luke Bryan appeared on NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyers. The singer was on the late night talk show to discuss his new venture: being one of the three new judges on the ABC revival of American Idol. Meyers went straight to the question that fans had on their minds: did Bryan reach out to Blake Shelton about taking the gig.
"Sadly, I did. I don't know why. I would recommend to never reach out to him," said Bryan jokingly to the former Saturday Night Live star in a conversation that E! News transcribed.
Bryan revealed that the stalwart coach on NBC's The Voice knew that his longtime partner-in-crime was in the running to judge American Idol. The "Most People Are Good" singer revealed that Shelton was excited for him to start this new chapter.
"Blake was excited for me because he knew that it was something that I would enjoy and I have. When I am on set, it has been 10 to 12-hour-days, but I am having fun in this role," said Bryan.
Blake 'Barks' Back
As Bryan was finishing up his promotional tour for American Idol, Shelton was about ready to serve up another round of jabs. According to Entertainment Tonight, the six-time winning coach of The Voice revealed that he had a lot of conversations with Bryan and jokingly stated that ABC might be unhappy with him about his paycheck. Bryan would reportingly earn $13 million for his services.
"I think people are going to realize just how dumb he really is when they see him on national television, in an environment where there's no script. But you're also gonna see what a great, great, dude that guy is," said Shelton to Entertainment Tonight.
'American Idol' Versus 'The Voice'
Despite Bryan and Shelton's friendship, American Idol's return to television has revived the two show's great rivalry. Bryan is expected to join Katy Perry and Lionel Richie at the American Idol Judges' Desk when the show returns on Sunday, March 11. Veteran host Ryan Seacrest is the only on-air talent form the FOX series that will play a role in the revival.
Meanwhile, Shelton and The Voice have recruited two of American Idol's biggest names to coach their artists. American Idol's original champion, Kelly Clarkson, is currently turning heads on NBC's singing competition. Clarkson joined Shelton, Adam Levine, and Alicia Keys in the coaching line-up. Last year, Oscar-winning actress-singer Jennifer Hudson made her coaching debut during the show's 13th season.
