Original judge Paula Abdul is tapped to temporarily take over the country singer's duty in the Monday, April 12 episode, which is set to have a live audience.
- Apr 13, 2021
AceShowbiz - Luke Bryan will temporarily step away from "American Idol". Revealing that he has tested positive for coronavirus, the "That's My Kind of Night" crooner said he was "sad" to miss out the first live episode of the ABC singing competition show.
The 44-year-old came forward with his diagnosis via Twitter on Monday, April 12. "I'm sad to say I won't be a part of tonight's first live @AmericanIdol show. I tested positive for COVID but I'm doing well and look forward to being back at it soon," he divulged.
The country singer has since received well wishes from his fans. One user wrote, "Oh no! I pray you don't have any adverse side effects from it. Wishes for a very speedy recovery." Another replied, "Hope you get better soon Luke and I'm sorry you had to go through that." A third chimed in, "Feel better Luke please take care of yourself we can't miss a show without you Prayers for your recovery and get well soon."
Luke's tweet was then reposted by "American Idol" Twitter account. The message read, "Luke will be missed at our 1st #AmericanIdol LIVE show tonight, but is resting in quarantine at home & we wish him a speedy recovery. We're so excited to announce [Paula Abdul] will be stepping in as a guest judge with Lionel Richie & Katy Perry as we get closer to a new winner!"
Luke's replacement, Paula, was an original judge when "American Idol" debuted in 2002. The 58-year-old songstress left the show on its eighth season. This will mark her first appearance on the series after it was moved to ABC from FOX.
For the first live show since the coronavirus pandemic, "American Idol" showrunner told Deadline in March that audience members will be masked. They will also be tested and seated in pods with their immediate households as part of following COVID-19 guidelines.
