Luke Bryan is a country superstar and American Idol judge, but behind the scenes, his biggest fans are undoubtedly his mother, LeClaire, and his wife, Caroline. The dynamic duo recently sat down for a lively chat on the Got It From My Momma Podcast with Jennifer Vickery Smith, providing a glimpse into the often hilarious and unpredictable adventures they’ve shared with Luke on the road.
LeClaire and Caroline often join him on the road and opened up about the adventures along the way. During the live recording of the podcast, LeClaire and Caroline detailed to us in the live Q&A a few wild travel escapades they shared with the country superstar.
Caroline Bryan also reflected on the apprehension associated with Hollywood involvement, admitting to initial fears about Luke’s American Idol journey. However, she acknowledges that the experience surpassed her expectations, noting how smoothly everything has unfolded.
Checkout the Q&A below with LeClaire and Caroline.
How did you feel when Luke & Caroline told you that he was going to do American Idol? That’s a big deal.
LeClaire Bryan: I have to go back to that because I was at Luke & Caroline’s at the beach. I was sitting down there in my little camper; they bought me a little camper and that was my private bedroom. Caroline walked down there and she said, “Mama, I just don’t know about Luke doing this American Idol stuff. What do you think?” I said, “Luke is doing this because he’s always wanting to make things better for y’all. It’s not about Luke; it’s about the family and doing stuff to make it better for them.” I know it’s hard on Caroline, not having Luke home. It’s been hard on Caroline since she married Luke. Luke’s gone a lot and she’s there with the children. She’s done amazing.
You were a little hesitant with what you were getting yourselves into with American Idol.
Caroline Bryan: “Every time you get involved with the whole LA stuff you just get a little scared. It’s gone smoother than I ever thought. I was scared. I was. It’s been fine.”
What is your craziest travel story with Luke?
LeClaire Bryan: I had a fabulous time in the Dominican Republic. That was my favorite. And Hawaii for American Idol because I was with Katy (Perry) and Lionel (Richie) and Luke and all them. It was just fun.
Caroline Bryan: One of my craziest stories, I’ll keep it short. Luke likes to surprise me with not the whole truth. He obviously loves to fish and hunt. I’m from a family of boys. I’ve been on so many fishing/hunting trips. This one year for Luke’s birthday, he gets to pick what we do and he tells me we’re going to go on this five star fishing trip. There’s going to be a nice hotel, you can go play around, there’s a spa. And I’m like, okay, let’s go.
We show up, hop into a boat. I’m on a boat for eight hours. Swear to God, I’m burnt. We get to the site, it’s a camping site. We crawl through bushes. Tate has cut his leg. There is no indoor plumbing. Our shower was a spring that was 55 degrees and so I pretty much had to tinkle in a bush for two and a half days and sleep on a cot with Tate and Tate kicks. Straight up camping. There was no glamping. There was no resort. And I was like, he did it again. He got me. Once as we were going down a river, our guide goes, this is where like one hundred people have died. And I went, Luke did it again.
Nothing five star about that.
Caroline Bryan: I don’t even care about five-star, but at least indoor plumbing. Give me a toilet. I’ll bathe in a spring, just give me a toilet.