Photo: ABC
An American Idol contestant jokingly arrested Luke Bryan during her audition.
“Sir, is your name Luke Bryan?” Julia Sienna asked as she approached the panel of judges.
“It is,” Bryan confirmed. “Am I in trouble?”
Sienna, wearing a police uniform, said she heard Bryan was saying “no” to too many American Idol hopefuls that day, and “unfortunately, that is a violation of code Idol 26. So, I’m going to need your hands, sir.” Judges Lionel Richie and Carrie Underwood cheered and played along as Sienna placed the cuffs on Bryan’s wrists in the American Idol episode that aired on Monday evening (February 16).
Underwood said in a sing-song voice, “you’re in trouble!” Richie said, “that got my attention.”
Sienna, 20, is a special officer from Freehold, New Jersey. She delivered a stunning rendition of “I Would,” by Connie Talbot. The judges — including Bryan, still in handcuffs — applauded the audition.
“I love you,” Underwood said. “I feel like you are such a fantastic representation of every woman. …You’re strong, you’re gorgeous, you have strength in your voice, and then you have these beautiful notes at the top that are very soft and pretty. And it’s all the things all wrapped into one, and I love that very much.”
Richie echoed, “I love your voice,” and Bryan gave Sienna two thumbs up. Sienna freed Bryan after receiving unanimous “yes” votes from the Idol judges.
Bryan is part of the star-studded lineup of the 2026 iHeartCountry Festival. The show also includes Kane Brown, Parker McCollum, Riley Green, Shaboozey, Dylan Scott, Russell Dickerson, Gretchen Wilson, Chase Matthew and Lauren Alaina. iHeartRadio's Bobby Bones is returning as the event’s host. The show will take place on May 2 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Tickets to the show are available as of January 23. Fans across the country will be able to catch all the action as the 2026 iHeartCountry Festival will be broadcast live across iHeartCountry stations nationwide and the free iHeartRadio app on Saturday, May 2nd at 8pm ET/5pm PT (7pm CT).