One of the biggest critiques many, myself included, have about the current era of American Idol is that the judges on the show don’t tend to offer much in the way of constructive criticism. Even in the most recent season, when contestants were forgetting their lyrics in the final stretch of the season, the judges glossed over the mistakes rather than holding the contestants accountable with actual critiques in their feedback.
Perhaps it’s for that reason why it’s so surprising to learn that Luke Bryan was overly critical of one particular contestant who has since gone on to enjoy success in the industry.
Evan Honer first auditioned for American Idol back in 2022. Like so many other hopefuls, Honer went into the audition hoping to impress the judges and make a run in the competition that could help make his dreams of breaking into the music industry possible. Instead, he was met with harsh criticism with Luke Bryan reportedly going as far as telling him to quit music and “stick to diving,” in a reference to Honer’s background as a former D1 swimmer.
Opening up on his experience on The Thicket With Mike & Josh podcast, Honer recalled having to convince his diving coach to allow him to miss practice only for Bryan and his fellow judges at the time, Lionel Richie and Katy Perry, to leave him “crushed” with their feedback.
“I had to beg my coach to let me miss. It was like one day of practices, but you can’t miss practices. “One day, I drove up just by myself. I was the only one that didn’t have somebody with them. I was just by myself in the nicest hotel I’ve ever been in,” Honer reflected. “That caught me off guard. Honestly, I thought at least they were going to be nice. It honestly crushed me. That drive home, I was really trying to convince myself… I don’t need them. But then, back in my head, I was like, ‘Why did they say that?’ It’s a dagger.”
Reflecting on Bryan’s comment that he should give up music and stick to diving, Honer recalls that it “destroyed” him and left him questioning whether he should indeed give up on his dream.
“It destroyed me for a little bit. Because as much as you want to say, ‘No, I don’t like Luke Bryan. He sucks anyway. Whatever,’” Honer confessed. “It’s three people that are massive in the industry [who] told you that you probably shouldn’t do this. And I’m like, ‘You know what? They might be right.”
Ultimately, Honer kept pursuing his music dreams, and it’s worked out quite nicely for him in the end. While Bryan might not have been a fan of Honer, his music has since reached millions of listeners.
Since auditioning for American Idol and being turned away in 2022, Honer has released two albums with a third set to release on Sept. 19. He now has 3.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone with several hits under his belt including “Jersey Giant,” “Take Me As I Come,” and “Foolin’ Ourselves.” He’s currently on tour with dates across the US, Europe, and Australia, with a mix of headlining and festival appearances coming in the final months of 2025.
Needless to say, Honer is doing just fine without American Idol’s support and is yet another success story of a contestant turned away by the show and its judges.