Despite both being country music superstars, Luke Bryan didn’t know Carrie Underwood very well when she joined the American Idol” judging panel alongside him and Lionel Richie in the fall of 2024.

But as they began working together, filming auditions and other rounds of the competition, Bryan said during an appearance on Taste of Country Nights in early August that he “really enjoyed getting to know Carrie as a wife and a mother and who she is.”

Underwood may not be the easiest person to get to know, though, given how private she is — a trait that Bryan said he just doesn’t possess. Should the two wind up judging “American Idol” again — a detail that’s still up in the air for season 24 — maybe they’ll get to know each other well enough to hang out outside the show.

Luke Bryan Says Carrie Underwood is a ‘Pro in Music & in Life’

Disney“American Idol” top 5 contestants and judges Jamal Roberts, Slater Nalley, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Breanna Nix, Lionel Richie, Thunderstorm Artis, and John Foster on May 11, 2025.
During his appearance on “Taste of Country Nights,” Bryan marveled at how well Underwood keeps her life close to the vest, noting, “What I’m not really good at, Carrie is.”

“Carrie is really good at being private in a lot of ways,” Bryan continued. “I’m not. I mean I kinda throw it out all out there for the world.”

Despite Underwood being a bit more reserved and private, Bryan said they had “a great time getting to work with each other on ‘Idol’” and added, “I really appreciate her as a human being and an artist and a mother … She’s just a pro in music and in life.”

That doesn’t mean they became besties, though. Bryan and his wife Caroline live just outside Nashville, mere miles from Underwood and her husband, former NHL player Mike Fisher, whom Bryan has also enjoyed getting to know — perhaps even more than Underwood.

“Me and Caroline and Mike and Carrie, you know, we’re not having cookouts or anything,” Bryan said, “but me and Mike, we actually get to fish and golf and do some hunting together.”

ABC Hasn’t Announced Judges for ‘American Idol’ Season 24

ABCAmerican Idol’s Ryan Seacrest, Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood, and Luke Bryan in 2025
ABC greenlit a Season 24 for “American Idol” months ago, with Ryan Seacrest returning for his 24th season. The network typically announces the next season’s judges by August 1, but there’s still no word on whether Underwood, Bryan, and Richie will be returning.

When “Taste of Country Nights” asked Bryan whether he thought Underwood would return, he replied, “My prediction would be highly favorable” and that “she had a great time in the role.”

As for whether he’ll be returning for an eighth season, Bryan said decisions are made year-to-year and cryptically said, “we’ll see what happens.”

After Jamal Roberts won Season 23 in May, E! News asked Underwood if she wanted to return to judge Season 24. She replied, “I had a lot of fun, for sure. I didn’t know how I would feel about it. And Luke and Lionel, and the crew, the people who work on the show are just so easy to be around.”

When asked if she, Bryan and Richie should return as a trio, Underwood said, “I mean, that would be cool, I think.”