Despite rumors circulating on the Internet, American Idol contestant Wyatt Pike's sudden departure from the competition series had nothing to do with an altercation with Idol judge Luke Bryan. E! reports that fan accounts claim Wyatt punched Luke in the face during an argument, leaving Luke with a black eye and causing his absence from the show. Not true, says Luke's wife, Caroline, who confirms that Luke was absent due to a Covid diagnosis, just like he said. On Sunday (April 18th), she cleared things up on TikTok writing, “Trust me, he has covid. I kinda wish there was a fight. I'm sick of taking care of kids alone and sanitizing. I'm peeing Lysol!!!”
It just so happened that the night Luke was absent from Idol, which was April 12th, show host Ryan Seacrest announced Wyatt had packed his bags, citing “personal reasons.”
On April 14th, Wyatt confirmed that he went home for “personal reasons,” before wishing the other contestants “good luck” in the competition.
Luke returned to American Idol on Sunday, the same night he won Entertainer of the Year at the ACM Awards, which were held back in Nashville.