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“American Idol”: Luke Bryan Opens Up About His and Katy Perry’s “Emotional” Goodbye

Luke Bryan American Idol

Luke Bryan said he and his longtime friend and co-judge Katy Perry shared a bittersweet goodbye when American Idol Season 22 wrapped up last month.

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The country singer spoke with Good Morning America during last week’s CMA fest and opened up about Katy’s final day on set. He said the night was “really emotional, but he and Lionel Richie managed to give her the “perfect,” lowkey farewell.

“Everybody thinks we’re gonna go out and stand on barstools and spray champagne over everybody,” he told the publication. “But we just had a chill dinner.”

Katy Perry has been starring alongside Luke for the past seven seasons. Lionel joined the show one year after Katy.

“We got to toast Katy and we got to say some really amazing things to her, and it was really emotional and [there was] a lot of love in the room,” Luke shared. “It was a perfect way to wrap the season and to wrap, certainly, Katy’s tenure with us, and it was really special.”

Luke Bryan Has Advice For Whoever Takes Katy Perry’s Place On “American Idol”

Katy Perry’s retirement means the series is on the hunt for a new American Idol judge. And so far, there has been no news about who might fill her spot. But Luke has advice for whoever takes the gig.

He said, “First and foremost,” the new judge will need to learn how to “tolerate” him and Lionel, and they need to make sure to “just be on time” for work.

But most importantly, Luke Bryan suggests that his future castmate has “fun with it” and doesn’t “treat it like a job.”

“Treat it like something you love,” he concluded.

This story’s featured image is by Momodu Mansaray/Getty Images.

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