Carrie Underwood was booed by the live audience during a recent episode of American Idol, prompting the singer and judge to respond defiantly on social media.

“Boo me. I don’t care @American Idol,” Underwood wrote on X, in a post that has been viewed approximately 1 million times.

The 42-year-old, who won the long-running televised singing competition in 2005 and joined the judging panel in 2025, was jeered during the show’s “Hollywood Week: Music City Takeover” episode after criticizing contestants’ song choices and performances.

Some viewers online linked the backlash to Underwood’s decision last year to perform at President Donald Trump’s inauguration, a move that drew criticism from Trump opponents and praise from his supporters.

Carrie Underwood performs onstage during Opry 100: A Live Celebration at Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman Auditorium on March 19, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. | Jason Kempin/Getty Images for the Grand Ole Opry

Why It Matters

Underwood replaced Katy Perry on the judging panel, with the “Firework” singer departing after seven seasons. She now judges alongside country-music singer Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie.

The year Underwood joined, she took the national stage at Trump’s inauguration. Much has been made of that performance, and it’s prompted an entrenched dislike of Underwood online in some circles, though she rarely speaks directly about politics.

She performed “America the Beautiful” acapella at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, shortly after Trump was officially sworn in. Underwood told Newsweek in a statement at the time, “I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event. “

What To Know

Her post came after she clashed with the live audience during the final American Idol “Hollywood Week: Music City Takeover” episode of the season.

Underwood was heavily booed after the contestant Mor performed an original song. When the time came to give feedback, Underwood said, “You guys are gonna boo me. You’re gonna boo me. It’s coming. Bring it on. I love it! Your boos are feeding me.”

She then said Mor had made a mistake by trying out original material during Hollywood Week. Underwood wrote in a follow-up post on X, “Singing original music is SUCH a gamble at this stage in the competition. Don’t. Waste. The. Band. Mor’s voice and previous audition kept him in. I wanna hear his original music after he’s a big star!”

Underwood was also booed after telling a contestant that she didn’t think they had picked the right song, and said afterwards, “They just like to boo me.”

Then, when she told another contestant that they had a mix of good and bad notes in their performance, she was booed again.

Underwood later said that she was unsure of a contestant’s song choice, prompting more negative reactions from the audience. Bryan responded, “She only won this. She knows.”

She then later hit back at the audience, after they did not boo when Bryan commented on one contestant having had a shaky start to their performance. “Why don’t they boo you?” she asked.

It’s not the first time this season that Underwood has been booed, or that she has addressed it online. In a post on X on February 18, viewed 1.8 million times, she wrote, “Spoiler alert…I get booed A LOT from our Hollywood Week audience.”

Social media users have been quick to voice their criticism of Underwood. The Ariana Grande fan account @wandasattorney responded to Underwood’s most recent post about being booed with, “And it’s still not loud enough,” in a reply viewed over 70,000 times. Another social media user @meekaiyell wrote in a reply viewed over 50,000 times “they shouldve threw tomatoes at you.”

Meanwhile, others have taken to social media to voice support for Underwood.

What People Are Saying

Ricky Davila, a singer-songwriter, in a post on X on February 19 viewed over 50,000 times: “MAGA lunatic Carrie Underwood is upset that she is getting booed on American Idol. Well in that case I hope the boos are louder and much more frequent.”

The account on X, American Bartender, in a post viewed over 20,000 times: “Who would boo you ? What did I miss ? Love you Carrie.”

The account on X, The Liberty Belle, wrote in a post viewed over 50,000 times: “Again, you’re doing something right if liberals are booing you. Keep it up!”