" My thing is , I believe when me and Lionel [ Richie ] and Katy pose down at the desk , in our spunk , we ’re doing the full we can . "

Luke Bryan voiced support forKaty Perryamid thebacklashover her behavior onAmerican Idol.

“Katy Perry’s been dealing with stuff like that her whole career,” LuketoldFox News. “We all get it… I mean, we’re judging kids that people at home fall in love with. We’re not gonna bat 1,000 as judges.”

Luke said he thinks judges “get set up” sometimes because it’s squarely on them to critique performances.

“As judges, you know, we kinda fall on the sword a lot of times,” he shared. “And get set up to where people can get very vocal on socials and stuff. My thing is, I think when me and Lionel [Richie] and Katy sit down at the desk, in our hearts, we’re doing the best we can.”

“Katy gets picked on for going out and trying to have fun making a TV show,” he added. “You can’t be so safe in the moment that you’re so homogenized, you can’t ever go for a joke. Or go for a fun moment. Sometimes, you just gotta say stuff. It may be my year next year.”

Luke then noted how “conditioned” and “calloused” entertainers are to backlash and said: “It makes me appreciate her even more, just how big of a scale she’s had to deal with that her whole career.”

Katy, for her part, hasn’t directly commented on the backlash, but we’ll let you know when she does. In the meantime, you can read Luke’s full interviewhere.

Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan smile for a photo together in a lounge

A closeup of Katy Perry sitting at the judge's table during American Idol

Closeup of Luke Bryan

Katy Perry showing her shoes to a cameraman

Luke Bryan in an interview

Closeup of Katy Perry

Closeup of Katy Perry