Zach John King has come a long way since his time on American Idol. In fact, he’s now touring with the same person who once told him his time on the show was over… Luke Bryan.
King shared the story during a recent appearance on The BobbyCast, where he revealed that Bryan sent him home during Hollywood Week in 2020, smack dab in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fans never got to see his audition footage on television.
“I made it to Hollywood Week, and Luke Bryan sent me home, ironically, and told me to keep gigging… and I did!”
Read More: Luke Bryan Almost Passed on ‘Drunk on You’ Because of the ‘Boom Boom’ Line
Gigging is basically a musicians way of saying working… keep playing shows and gigs and getting better.
Fast-forward to 2026, and King is out on the road with Bryan. They eventually had a chance to talk about their American Idol history, giving King an opportunity to remind Bryan of their first encounter.
Luke Bryan’s Advice to Zach John King Paid Off
King took the advice from Bryan, about playing more shows and continued working on his music and eventually found himself sharing the road with the same artist who had sent him home from the competition… crazy, right?
Luke Bryan Invited Zach John King to Make His Grand Ole Opry Debut
Bryan has also helped King reach another major milestone in his career that every country musician remembers forever, once presented to it
During the Word on the Street Tour, Bryan invited King to make his Grand Ole Opry debut, which is a pretty large turn of events for someone who didn’t make it past Hollywood Week.
34 Pictures of Luke Bryan Young
Luke Bryan has been a force in country music pretty much since he arrived in Nashville in 2005. “All My Friends Say” started the fire for him as a solo artist — and the rest is history. Let’s take a walk through time with 34 pictures of Luke Bryan young.
Gallery Credit: Evan Paul
Country ‘American Idol’ Stars Who Disappeared
We cheered for them. We voted for them. We followed them. Then, these seven American Idol stars vanished. Or, at least it seems like it.
What happened to some of country music’s best American Idol contestants over the last 20 years? This list of country American Idol stars who disappeared includes a winner, a runner-up and a third place finisher, plus several early cuts who enjoyed radio success before losing touch with fans.
