Luke Bryan Spills A Surprising Fact He Learned About Carrie Underwood While Filming ‘American Idol'

In December, the “Play it Again” hitmaker, 49, appeared on SiriusXM's Cody's Crash My Christmas Party on The Highway and shared a surprising tidbit about the “Before He Cheats” singer, 42.

“She is the most on-time person you have ever met,” he said, according to Country Now . “I'm talking about punctual, dialed in, professional. I'm talking about, like, one minute before, like Bill Belichick taught her how to show up on time.”

Bryan — who has been a judge on the hit singing competition since 2018 — shared that Underwood is the first person at the judging table each morning.

“And so, I mean, I'm in my dressing room, and I'm pretty good, but then I'm like, and you can look on the monitor and see who's in the chair already,” he explained. “And it's, let's say it's 9:03, and there's Carrie, ready, looking at her nails…. So, just her punctuality.”

“This is our second year that we've started together and just getting to know her and her family dynamic,” he remarked. “I mean, having two boys, it's really fun to hear the stories going on around their household.”

As Star previously reported, Bryan reflected on working with Underwood in a July interview with Taste of Country Nights.

“Last year was really, really incredible with Carrie and Lionel [ Riche ] and Ryan [ Seacrest ],” he told the outlet. “And the main thing is just, have fun with American Idol and have fun with the kids [contestants].”

Melora Hardin Reflects On Dancing With The Stars Exit And Calls It A Reality Show

Melora Hardin has reflected on her Dancing With the Stars exit, describing the ABC competition as “not a dance show. It seems like it's a dance competition show, but it's not a dance competition show, it's a reality show,” and suggesting that her decision not to perform in pointe shoes may have cost her a spot in the finale.

Hardin, 58, competed on Dancing With the Stars Season 30 in 2021 with pro Artem Chigvintsev, making it to the semifinals before being eliminated in week nine, just short of the finale.

Four years later, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly published January 2, 2026, she shared her unfiltered take on the experience, calling it eye‑opening and personally fulfilling despite the early exit.

She explained that while the producers of Dancing With the Stars “want their celebrities to be happy,” their main objective is 

Hardin noted that the team behind Dancing With the Stars is constantly “feeling you out” to see “where you are with things” as a contestant. She added, 

After Hardin's elimination, four couples earned spots in the Dancing With the Stars Season 30 finale: Amanda Kloots and Alan Bersten finished in fourth place, Cody Rigsby and Cheryl Burke in third place, JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson in second place, and Iman Shumpert and Daniella Karagach won the mirrorball trophy.

Despite missing out on the top prize, Hardin said she enjoyed the journey on Dancing With the Stars and found it deeply suited to her personality. She shared: 

A ‘Smart Move' Or Not? Aman Gupta And Kunal Bahl Clash Over Dessert Brand...

Shark Tank India 5 is all set to premiere on January 5, and with the latest promos from the show, it seems things will start on an intense note. In one of the promos, ⁘sharks' Aman Gupta and Kunal Bahl will be seen disagreeing over a pitch by a dessert brand. In another promo, Anupam Mittal, Mohit Yadav and Namita Thapar are seen calling out a brand for its unethical practices.

In the first promo, The Croffle Guys founders, Rahul Vohra, Annanya Agarwal, Veer Pinto and Amay Thakkar, are seen pitching their dessert brand in an upcoming episode of Shark Tank India Season 5. After trying the product, Aman Gupta didn't seem very convinced with their idea of introducing croissant-shaped waffles to the market. As he tried the snack, he said, ⁘Basically, this is a waffle.⁘ Kunal also pointed out, ⁘You must have seen how well The Belgian Waffle Co has been doing.⁘ Just then, one of the founders, Rahul, will reveal that their first location will be opened right opposite Belgian Waffle. While this received a thumbs up from Namita Thapar, Aman Gupta went on to call it a ⁘smart move.⁘

Also Read: Shark Tank's Ritesh Agarwal reacts to Virat Kohli choosing a Rs 2,058 cr Indian sportswear company over Puma's Rs 300 cr deal: ‘This is a sign that…'

Viraj Bahl added, ⁘More than 95 percent are entrepreneurs telling us no post viewing, rather than the other way round. A lot of credit goes to Shark Tank organisers as they do a lot of financial diligence before the pitch reaches the tank.⁘

Lizzo Flaunts Her Figure In White Bikini In First Post Of New Year

The bodysuit, which she layered over the Yitty swimsuit, seemingly inspired a cheeky reference to Alabama Barker's viral Christmas haul

The singer-rapper, 37, flaunted her figure in nothing but a white bikini in her very first Instagram post of the new year on Friday, Jan. 2. She also used the post to make a reference to Alabama Barker 's viral Christmas gift haul .

In the first picture, Lizzo paired the white swimsuit with nothing but her rings and blue manicure. In the second, she completed the look — and added more color — with another layer in a colorful, psychedelic-inspired print.

Lizzo wore a boatneck bodysuit from Pucci, which retails for $680 at Saks Fifth Avenue , in vibrant shades of blue, purple and green. She complemented the cool-toned shades with a pair of statement earrings and tied her simple swimsuit in with white, vintage-inspired sunglasses.

The singer's feed post generated lots of praise in a star-studded comments section, which Paris Hilton , SZA , Chloe Bailey , Erykah Badu and more filled with compliments.

Love Island's Indiyah Polack And Dami Hope Split After 3 Years

Love Island 2022 stars Dami Hope and Indiyah Polack have left fans heartbroken after revealing their split.

Dami Hope and Indiyah Polack had become a firm favourite couple among Love Island fans, after finding each other in the 2022 series, where Ekin-Su Culculoglu and Davide Sanclimenti were crowned the winners.

According to the Daily Mail , they called it quits over the Christmas period after three years together, for reasons not yet known. Just days prior, they'd celebrated Indiyah's birthday together.

“It's been a difficult time for them both, they built their lives together, and no one expected their relationship to end so suddenly.

“They have no plans to enter the Love Island: All Stars villa. Indiyah is focused on co-hosting the podcast, while Dami isn't interested, knowing it would be an unforgivable level of disrespect.”

They were last seen together at Indiyah's December birthday celebrations, with Dami featuring in a post all about her special meal on 17th December, however in Dami's end-of-year Instagram post his girlfriend was absent from the photos.

He captioned his post: “A year full of memories, milestones, losses and growth you can't always explain out loud. I've hit goals I once only dreamed about, yet I still catch myself asking, ‘Why don't I feel content?'

“Not everything ends clean, but it ends clear. 2026 is about peace, progress, motion and exercising my free will daily.”

Defeated' After ‘Worst' Year Yet, Worries Finding Love May Be ‘Impossible'

Kim Kardashian is starting 2026 on shaky ground. After what an insider called her “worst” year yet, the Skims founder is feeling “defeated” and concerned she may never find love again, the Daily Mail reported on Thursday, January 1.

On paper, Kardashian's 2025 was full of milestones. She graduated law school, landed her first acting role in Ryan Murphy 's legal series All Fair , and the show was recently picked up for a second season.

This year “has been so trying that she does not know what she will do if 2026 is worse,” claimed the insider.

In October, Kardashian, 45, spoke out about her issues with the rapper, 48, in an interview on the Call Her Daddy podcast, noting that she raises their kids “full time” and hadn't heard or seen West in a “couple months.”

“It's not easy, no matter what, co-parenting with anyone — it's just the one thing that gets me is that there's this narrative that I keep the kids away from him. I've never once done that,” she said.

American Idol” Judges Take A Trip Down Memory Lane At Idol University (Exclusive)

In an exclusive American Idol promo, Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan and Carrie Underwood visit American Idol University

In a clip premiering exclusively with PEOPLE on Wednesday, Dec. 31, the singing competition show judges are welcomed to Idol University by longtime host Ryan Seacrest .

⁘Look at all of these superstars that have graduated from Idol-U,⁘ Underwood, 42, says, as the camera shows framed photos of Idol alums like Kelly Clarkson , Jennifer Hudson and Jamal Roberts .

At one point, a display labeled ⁘American Idol by the Numbers⁘ is shown, showcasing the show's awards and platinum records earned.

⁘What an incredible amount of lives that have changed,⁘ Bryan, 49, says as he gazes at the displays.

⁘And hairstyles,⁘ the ⁘Before He Cheats⁘ singer adds, before a framed wall of Seacrest's hair evolution is shown.

At another point, the judges approach what they think is a wax figure of Clay Aiken , whom Bryan calls ⁘one of the greats.⁘ Then, Aiken startles them when he whips his head around and winks at the judges.

⁘American Idol class of 2026 is in session,⁘ Underwood says joyfully, before a teaser of the upcoming season plays.