Lionel Richie & Luke Bryan Sidelined Carrie Underwood Her First Year As An American Idol Judge

American Idolseason 23 judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan sidelined Carrie Underwood during her first year as a judge, even though they might not have meant to. For American Idol season 23, Carrie took Katy Perry's place at the judging table when Katy left the show after seven seasons in order to focus on her own music career again. Carrie seemed like the perfect person to be an American Idol judge because she'd won season 4 in 2005, and she's since gone on to become a global superstar.