Before he became a permanent judge on ABC’s American Idol, Luke Bryan was already one of the most popular and highest-paid country stars in the world. With a career that now spans 20 years, Luke Bryan has released seven albums, four of which premiered in the #1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart. To date, Luke has also hit the road with as many as seven country-wide tours with sold-out tickets and has gotten over 10 songs in the #1 spot in the country charts. Alas, there’s a lot more to his wealth and success than being a country hitmaker.
After offering as much as $25 million for Katy Perry to judge American Idol, ABC wanted to pay a much lower salary to Luke Bryan. According to Page Six, producers first offered a salary of $2.5 million for Luke to join the American Idol judging panel. The country star demanded to be paid more, so the network increased their offer significantly. Per WSJ, Luke makes $12 million per season as a judge, which is well below Katy but significantly higher than what he was initially offered. Four seasons later, Luke has already earned $48 million just from appearing on the show.
Per CelebrityNetWorth estimates, Luke Bryan’s net worth amounts to $160 million, which is how he can afford to own two mansions in the United States. In 2020 alone, Forbes calculated that Luke earned a reported $45.5 million. Aside from his earnings with music sales, tour tickets, and merchandise sales, Luke has always proven himself to be a multimedia mogul. In recent years, Luke launched the Crash My Playa festival in Cancun, Mexico alongside many other country stars. He also opened a 30,000 square foot entertainment center in Nashville, Tennesse called Luke’s 32 Bridge Food + Drink, which features eight bars, three stages, and two restaurants on-site.
When he isn’t busy judging American Idol season 19, Luke Bryan also spearheads his own record label, 32 Bridge Entertainment, which was founded in 2018. Luke has already managed to sign up-and-coming country star Jon Langston to 32 Bridge Entertainment, which operates as a label under the Universal Music Group umbrella. In 2021, Luke also partnered with Constellation Brands to jointly launch the hard seltzer drink Two Lane American Golden Lager. While the amounts behind this deal haven’t been disclosed, it is noteworthy that Constellation is considered the leading producer of high-end wine, beer, and spirits.
Luke Bryan isn’t just the hit-making country star and lovable American Idol judge that some fans might know. He is also an incredibly successful businessman with a knack for new opportunities and a desire to expand his horizons beyond the music industry.
American Idol season 19 airs Sundays & Mondays at 8 pm ET/PT on ABC.
Sources: Page Six, WSJ, CelebrityNetWorth, Forbes
