The country star admitted that his friend 'deserves' the title, but that doesn't mean he isn't going to roast him for it.
Luke Bryan is proud of his buddy Blake Shelton for being named People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive -- but he's also a little envious.
ET's Sophie Schillaci caught up with the country crooner at the American Idol auditions in Los Angeles on Thursday, and he opened up about Sheton's new title, and the backlash it has ignited among some on the internet.
"I originally roasted him about it," Bryan admitted. "But then now the whole world is roasting him and now I feel bad for roasting him."
The news was announced Tuesday night and led to a widespread debate among many Twitter users. Some attacked Shelton's new status, while others defended People's decision vehemently.
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"It's very flattering and I'm happy for him. I want to go on the record and say that I'm proud of my guy," Bryan stated. "And for all of the people out there that are giving him grief, I mean, Blake is a good looking guy and he deserves it."
"I'm a little jelly," the singer admitted,"[But] I think he ought to enjoy [it]."
Bryan -- who was joined by his new American Idol co-judges Katy Perry and Lionel Richie -- also dished on what it's been like to oversee the slew of auditions for the first season of the rebooted series, and shared some advice for hopefuls looking to impress them.
Specifically, the judges unanimously agreed that anyone trying to get past the audition rounds should "never" perform one of their songs.
"Don't do it," Richie warned.
"Here is the thing, we have heard those songs so many times, day in and day out," Perry explained. "And, god bless, I love my songs, I am so grateful for them [and] the experience they have given me, but I don't need to hear them again."
"Unless you interpret them extremely differently," she continued.
"Or in a different style," Bryan suggested.
"But if you don't sing them as good or better [than us], than you aren't really going to go through, because it feels a bit like they are sucking up," Perry said. "And then we don't really get to know how they are as an artist."
Fans will get a chance to see how the new panel of judges handle auditions and Idol hopefuls when the reality singing competition returns to TV on March 11, 2018 on ABC.
