NEWSLuke Bryan Says He Teaches His 2 Sons 'Manners, Politeness, Humility and Hard Work': 'It Feels Good' to Give Back
Luke Bryan told OK! he teaches his sons about 'hard work' and being polite.
April 10 2025, Published 4:58 p.m. ET
Luke Bryan is all about giving back — which is something he's also taught his kids — Thomas "Bo" Boyer Bryan, 17, and Tatum "Tate" Christopher Bryan, 14 — whom he shares with wife Caroline Bryan.
The country singer shares two boys with his wife, Caroline Bryan.
"I look at how my kids process who their dad is. They are of the age that they know dad's a celebrity and has been blessed with success, but I think when they see that our family makes a difference when using our celebrity platform. I just hope they understand that's what life is all about. In our home, we try to teach manners and politeness and humility and hard work, and obviously having a charitable aspect in your heart and soul makes you the kind of person we want them to be," the country star, 48 — who teamed up with Raising Cane's owner and founder Todd Graves to celebrate a $1,000,000 donation from Raising Cane's to The Brett Boyer Foundation, which Luke co-founded alongside his wife and her brother and sister-in-law Ellen and Bo in honor of their first child, Sadie Brett Boyer, who was diagnosed prenatally with Down Syndrome and congenital heart defect (CHD) — told OK! on Tuesday, April 8, in Franklin, Tenn.
The pair got married in 2006.
While at the Raising Cane's in Franklin, the American Idol judge served fans from the counter and drive-thru while chatting with Todd about how much the foundation means to him.
"This is really a family entity for us," Luke explained. "As a family, we make a lot of time to dedicate time to this. A few years ago, I met Todd, and he's been so generous to us and The Brett Boyer Foundation. When you look at the blessings in country music that I've been given, we always try to do what we can to give back and make time for each other. We miss out on some sleep, but at the end of the day, it feels good to do the right stuff."
Luke Bryan and Todd Graves pictured at Raising Cane's in Franklin, Tenn.
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
"It might sound a little funny, but I think God made chicken to help people," Todd quipped. "When I started the business, it was about being successful — but the real success is measured by what you get back. Luke and I became friends and we spoke about the foundation. I saw how they turned something very tragic into something beautiful. The research that is being done will save lives now — and it will save so many lives in the future."
Luke Bryan working the drive-thru.
Determined to improve outcomes for others with CHD so no one would ever have to endure the loss of a child to CHD, Luke and his family founded The Brett Boyer Foundation in 2017 with the mission of funding CHD research, supporting families and celebrating the Down Syndrome community.
"What's really special about this is I've watched our foundation grow with people behind the scenes helping and then people step in like Todd and Raising Cane's is doing," the "Country Girl" singer shared. "There's always charities to give to, and you're like, 'Where is that money going?' The fact that we can build this from a really special place and see that 36 kids are alive because of us today is huge. It's a huge donation Todd is giving us. He and I have become buddies and hopefully we'll do more things like this together."
Luke is just happy to bring awareness to others who might not know much about congenital heart disease in children. "I had so many friends in my age group say, 'I was born with a heart issue.' There's a lot of people that have to go for regular checkups on their heart. This is prevalent — especially in the Down Syndrome community. If you can get them to that next stage of getting their heart to grow, their chances of survival and living a full life becomes even greater," the country star shared. "I want to make sure kids never get the diagnosis that she got. In years to come, I hope we changed the narrative about CHD."
Luke Bryan is all about giving back to others.
Ultimately, the dad-of-two feels blessed and wants to continue helping others in the future.
"You enter the music business with one goal in mind, and I will never forget my first day in Nashville, I wrote all of these goals on a dry erase board. I picked one goal and did it. 20 years later, I look back and I hit all of my goals and now I can really just sit back and have fun knowing that. I try not to get caught up in what's next for my career but what's next for me enjoying what's happened. I have pinch me moments every day — and to be able to do this and raise money for a lot of people that will appreciate it is something I'll remember for many, many years," he gushed.
