The star-studded “American Idol” cast — Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood, and Ryan Seacrest — all have enough money to afford personal chefs or dine at the world’s most expensive restaurants.
But one member of the group would be just as happy eating a Whopper. That’s according to Bryan, who revealed during a December 2025 SiriusXm event that Richie is a big fast food fan!
Luke Bryan Says He Wants to ‘Eat Like Lionel Richie’
DisneyAccording to CountryNow, Bryan told SiriusXM host Cody Alan that Richie “loves” fast food, marveling, “To look like Lionel Richie and to eat like Lionel Richie, I’m going to just eat like Lionel Richie. Like In-N-Out, he just crushes it.”
Bryan also revealed that one of Richie’s favorite orders is a Whopper from Burger King. But likely in moderation, since he told the Daily Mail in 2023, that the keys to staying healthy at his age were “water, sleep, and sweat, not too much red meat. I know it’s real boring. [Sex] will work also and it’s good for your heart.”
Though Richie may “crush” an occasional fast food burger like Bryan said, he’s also happy to indulge in expensive meals, too, as evidenced by his social media post in July 2025 from Nobu — a hotspot for celebrities. Richie autographed the restaurant’s wall and captioned his video, “Fantastic food and great atmosphere! Thank you, my dear brother @therealnobu”
In April, he and his longtime love, Lisa Parigi, were photographed after dining at high-end restaurant Cipriani in Beverly Hills. And in 2024, they were photographed dining at Spago, another Los Angeles hotspot for stars.
Lionel Richie Used to Take Fans With Him to Restaurants
In October, Richie revealed that he used to eat with his fans when he was just starting out in the music business, touring the U.S. with the Commodores. While on “Today with Jenna & Friends,” the music legend said he used to find a fan to go out for meals with because he had so much anxiety and was afraid of being alone.
“For the first five years, if we had breakfast, lunch, or dinner, I would go downstairs in the restaurant of whatever location and find a fan and go, ‘Let’s have lunch,'”Richie said. “I just couldn’t figure that out.”
Incredibly, Richie has continued to sometimes invite perfect strangers out to eat, even at the height of his fame. One woman blogged about her surreal experience while she and a friend were visiting Paris and happened to bump into Richie, who invited them to exclusive restaurant along with the French ambassador and a photographer friend.
“American Idol” returns for its 24th season on January 26 at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
