American Idol judged criticised for gifting kangaroo joeys

A country singer and American Idol judge has been criticised for giving his wife two kangaroo joeys as a Christmas present.

Luke Bryan shared a video of himself presenting the native Australian animals to his wife Caroline Boyer under the guise they were "two designer purses".

"Oh my God! Where did you get these?" she asked.

Social media users have blasted Bryan for keeping the protected species in captivity.

"Kangaroos… belong in the wild," marlenerose1829 wrote.

Other's defended the singer's actions, pointing out Bryan said the animals would be the latest addition to the charity "Brett's Barn".

Bryan and his wife created a farm for abandoned animals as a tribute to the seven-month-old daughter Ms Boyer's brother lost in February.

Bryan, who will work alongside Lionel Richie and Katy Perry on this year's Idol instalment, captioned the Instagram video #Brettsbarn.

"Apparently it's for an organization, that they aren't actually gonna keep them as pets," annaliisasep wrote.

It is not known if the animals were abandoned. Bryan has not yet made comment.