MUSIC CITY MINUTE

Gotcha! Luke Bryan and Brad Paisley left Carrie Underwood in hysterics on ‘American Idol’ | Music City Minute

Feb 11, 2026, 4:42 PM | Updated: 4:47 pm

Country music artists have a lot of pride in their work. Viral songs, award winning albums and touring the world are a reflection of their dedication and spirit, after all. However, there’s another form of art that seems to get just as much focus and practice within the music community: pranking. A couple of the best jokesters in the biz, Brad Paisley and Luke Bryan, pulled a hilarious prank over on Carrie Underwood and Lionel Richie during filming for “American Idol.” The gruesome twosome recruited a fake auditioner Dylan Holmes to really sell the believability of the scenario, starting with Luke Bryan returning to the judge’s desk with a hidden earpiece. Backstage, Brad Paisley secretly fed Bryan lines via the earpiece during Holmes’ fake audition, leaving Bryan’s co-judges believing his cheese had slipped completely off his cracker. To call the execution flawless would be an understatement. After the ruse was revealed, a clearly shocked Carrie Underwood admitted she was clueless of the lark and never questioned Luke Bryan’s shenanigans as anything other than authentic.
I’m Sheena, and that’s your Music City Minute.

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