For a moment it seemed like Simon Cowell had returned to American Idol because Luke Bryan was just plain rude to a singer from Michigan. It was all in good fun, however.
Actually, it was all in good fun to prank Carrie Underwood. Lionel Richie was just an innocent bystander.
- Season 24 of American Idol premiered on Monday (Jan. 26).
- Auditions took place at Belmont University in Nashville.
- Richie, Bryan and Underwood are back for a second straight year.
The moment was just part of a strong comeback for Idol. There were multiple country auditions, tears from Carrie Underwood and a Savannah Banana’s player singing and picking his way to Hollywood (metaphorically, because this year’s Hollywood rounds are actually back in Nashville.
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Brad Paisley Pranks Carrie Underwood On American Idol
Midway through Monday’s premiere, Bryan steps away from the desk to use the bathroom and meets with producers and Paisley to discuss how they can ruin the show. Both country men and a fake prospect named Dylan Holmes decide that Brad will feed Luke lines through an earpiece.
Things go sideways quickly.
Bryan sits down and immediately starts to pester Underwood about how much she can bench press. Then, when Holmes starts to strum his guitar he shouts, “Pass!”
“I can’t stand Michigan” is another Paisley-to-Bryan quip. He then goes on to insult Illinois before Underwood asks if her co-host went and took a shot during his bathroom break.
Finally, Bryan utters the safe word (“hot chicken”) and Paisley comes walking out to reveal the prank. Richie wasn’t in on any of it either, but Carrie is the focus given her friendship with the former CMA Awards co-host.
She may get the last laugh however.
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“You wanna hear something great? I didn’t think anything was wrong,” she says, joking that weird comments from Bryan are — well, sort of par for the course.
Khloe Grace Makes Carrie Underwood Cry
The final audition is the one people are having the deepest conversations about on Tuesday. A 15-year-old named Khloe Grace took the stage to sing “Forever 13,” a song she wrote about a young girl who died by suicide in 2023.
Her name was Aubreigh Wyatt and her mother Heather was there to explain how online bullies pushed her daughter into an unthinkable depression. Khloe didn’t know Aubreigh and had never met Heather until they embraced on the American Idol stage.
It was a 7-minute-long audition that brought Underwood (and millions watching) to tears. The hitmaker praised Grace for her maturity before she got three “yes” votes.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or dial 988.
Banana-ball Meets American Idol
Other standout moments from the premiere of American Idol include Keyla Richardson singing Pink’s “Glitter In the Air” (she made Bryan cry), Ricky Boyce singing Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man” and Jayson Arendt singing Chris Stapleton’s “Fire Away.”
Arendt plays for the Texas Tailgaters, a team that regular plays the Savannah Bananas. His audition opened with his teammates showing Luke Bryan how they boot scoot boogie but it got serious as he proved he could really sing.
He ended up with Underwood’s approval and will be sent to the next round, sans the team.
The next episode of American Idol airs on Monday (Feb. 2). There will be three more audition rounds before two Hollywood In Music City weeks.
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Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
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