Luke Bryan got his wife, Caroline, kangaroos for Christmas. Picture: Instagram
Idol judge's controversial kangaroo gift
COUNTRY superstar Luke Bryan has caused controversy for getting his wife two baby joeys for Christmas.
Bryan, who will join Katy Perry and Lionel Richie as judges on the new season of American Idol, shared a video of him gifting the animals to his wife, Caroline Boyer.
Brett's barn additions. #brettsbarn
A post shared by Luke Bryan Official (@lukebryan) on Dec 25, 2017 at 7:17am PST
"I got you two designer purses," Bryan jokes as he carries the kangaroos in to his blindfolded wife.
"Oh my God! Where did you get these?" she asked after taking off the blindfold.
Luke Bryan and his wife Caroline Boyer. Picture: Instagram
Bryan lost his brother, Chris, more than 20 years ago in a car accident. His sister, Kelly, died in 2007 with a medical examiner unable to say why. Then Kelly's husband Ben died in 2014, prompting Bryan and his wife to raise the couple's kids, Tilden, Kris and Jordan, alongside their own sons, Thomas, 9, and Tatum, 7.
Then in February, Caroline's brother Bo and his wife, Ellen, lost their seven-month-old daughter, Sadie Brett (known as Brett). Bryan and Boyer then started "Brett's Barn" as a tribute to the youngster, with the aim of helping abandoned animals find homes.
Dear Brett....when your sweet Mama told me of the challenges you might face in life, I was floored when her first words were "I can't handle the thought of someone making fun of her." She never said, "Why me? Why us?" Nothing. Her words were all about you. Protecting you. Loving you with a love that only a Mother knows. Sweet Angel, you changed so many stubborn hearts that most thought were unbreakable. The first time we saw your smile was beyond amazing. You instantly became one of the greatest blessings to the the entire Boyer/Wells/Bryan family. So....to get to my point of the picture....when you were about a month old, I promised you a white pony! I found you one.....along with some other adorable mini animals! Your mom and I hijacked one of your Uncle Luke's barns and started having a little fun with it (thank you sweetie @lukebryan)! We still have a lot of work to do, but it's coming together! "Brett's Barn" is officially in the works. This is all for you Queen Bee. We love you to the moon and back. 👑🐝 #brightforbrett #brettsbarn
A post shared by Caroline Bryan (@linabryan3) on Jul 27, 2017 at 7:40pm PDT
He captioned the Instagram video of the kangaroos #brettsbarn. However, it is unknown if the joeys were abandoned.
The internet was split on the issue with some backing Bryan for doing something "nice" for his wife after a tough year and those who were keen to point out that kangaroos are wild animals.
Y'all get ready for #AmericanIdol.
A post shared by Luke Bryan Official (@lukebryan) on Nov 7, 2017 at 9:57am PST
"Kangaroos are endangered and belong in the wild," marlenerose1829 wrote.
"you don't even know where the kangaroos even came from. They could have been abandoned, sick, unable to live in the wild for some reason. I know some of the other animals at Brett's Barn were rescued. You just automatically assume the worst," klynnr824 wrote to marlenerose1829.
"If they were abandoned or sick, they should have gone to an organisation that knows how to deal with them," marlenerose1829 wrote back.
Bryan has yet to comment on the controversy.
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