Carrie Underwood Admits She Got a Little ‘Petty’ About Her College Ex Who Cheated

Despite what some of the lyrics of her songs might lead you to believe, Carrie Underwood has never done damage to somebody’s car — but the singer admits that, back in her 20s, she found a different kind of revenge when a boyfriend cheated on her.

During a recent sit-down on SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show, Underwood discusses revenge-fueled songs like “Before He Cheats” — and fields a question over whether there might have been a real-life betrayal to inspire some of the vitriol in the song.

“Yes,” the singer says, when show host Howard Stern asked her if a boyfriend had ever been unfaithful to her in a relationship.

“I mean, at the time, I was young. I was in my 20s. I was in college,” Underwood continues. “And I feel like that was a very big moment where it was like, ‘I really thought I knew this person, and it turns out I really did not know this person at all.’”

Of course, in “Before He Cheats” — Underwood’s massive crossover hit off her 2005 Some Hearts album — she sings about digging “my key into the side of his pretty little souped-up four-wheel drive,” carving “my name into his leather seats,” and much more. But arguably, becoming a massively famous country star is even better revenge than that — and Underwood admits she’s not entirely immune to enjoying that “petty” kind of revenge.

“I don’t think about it that much anymore, but you know, earlier in my career, [I would sometimes be] thinking about, like, ‘He’s probably in the grocery store  check-out line, and I’m on a magazine. You know?” she says with a laugh. “There’s a little pettiness in there.”

These days, Underwood’s more focused on growing her garden than getting revenge. She’s been happily married to Canadian pro hockey player Mike Fisher since 2010, and the couple are parents to two sons. When she’s not out on the road, Underwood often shows fans snapshots of her vegetable garden, bread baking skills and home life.