That wouldn’t benefit anyone…

American Idol

I mean, is she supposed to lie? Because I don’t think that would do anyone any good…

Carrie Underwood has become a bit of a controversial judge on this season of American Idol, the show she won in 2005, because she is direct in her feedback and is willing to say some things the other judges won’t. It’s actually pretty constructive, but compared to Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, it definitely can come across as more “strict,” but I think in the long run, she’s doing contestants a big service by telling them what they need to hear in order to get better and stay in the competition.

But much like her predecessor Simon Cowell, and Carrie’s not even close to being as harsh as he was, she’s started to get booed quite a bit by the audience, which really started a couple weeks or so ago during Hollywood Week. Fans have expressed disapproval of her criticism regarding song choices and performance quality.

Believe it or not, the beloved “Jesus, Take The Wheel” singer has accidentally made some enemies over the past couple of years, and it has nothing to do with Idol, and is mostly due to the fact that the country star performed “America the Beautiful” at Donald Trump’s inauguration back in January of 2025. Even though Underwood put out a statement saying her performance and presence wasn’t a political statement, a lot of people on the left chalked it up as such and turned their backs on the singer.

And in her defense, Underwood has never been one to be outspoken about her politic beliefs. If you were to try and figure out her political leanings, you could reference the firestorm that Carrie set off when she liked a tweet from conservative commentator Matt Walsh that opposed mask requirements for school children. If I had to guess, I’d say she probably leans Republican, but the only other example(s) that one could point to is when Underwood has stood by her husband – retired NHL star Mike Fisher. He’s been more open to sharing his political views, as he’s campaigned for Republican candidates in the past and stood with Aaron Rodgers in opposing vaccine mandates back in 2021.

One could say that the act of singing “America the Beautiful” at Trump’s inauguration was the most political thing that Underwood has ever been in her entire career, but even jumping to that conclusion is a bit of a stretch. Underwood even clarified that she did it because she loves the country, and called for everyone to come together in the spirit of unity.

But it hasn’t stopped fans from booing her, whether for what they assume are her political opinions, or because they think she’s too harsh, and Carrie has addressed it a couple of times on social media this season, sending a tweet before the Hollywood Week episode aired in February warning to fans that she got “booed a lot”:

“Spoiler alert…I get booed A LOT from our Hollywood Week audience.”

Of course, her comments section since then has been insane with people making it about politics, but I’m sure her tweeting about that had more to do with the fact that she is just promoting the show and trying to get people to tun in, and it sounds like they’ve continued to boo her, because after last night’s episode aired, Carrie tweeted out that she “[doesn’t] care” that the audience continues to boo her:

“Boo me. I don’t care.”

She added a few “laughing” emojis, so clearly I don’t think she’s actually upset by it, and what good is a reality show like this without a little controversy? I

And her fellow Idol judge came to her defense during an episode of the official American Idol podcast, with Bryan, Underwood and co-judge Lionel Richie, and host Danielle Fishel brought up the fact that Carrie has gotten booed for giving contestants honest and very constructive criticism.

Carrie doubled down on the fact that she doesn’t care, saying she is a “terrible liar,” and she knows that fans watching at home wouldn’t trust her credibility if she lied to them or wasn’t being completely honest, especially when it’s very obvious:

“I don’t care. I can’t lie, I’m a terrible liar. As a fan of the show, if there was ever somebody that kind of had an off night and everybody’s like, ‘Oh, my God that’s so great,’ I’m sitting at home being like, ‘What? Liars!’”

I think we’ve all had that kind of experience when watching these kinds of shows, and Bryan agreed, saying Carrie obviously knows what she’s talking about, and while he knows providing harsh truth at times can be hard to do, it’s necessary, and it’s kind of the point of having judges who have been so successful in their own music careers… to guide others who are chasing a similar dream:

“[It’s] tough to do as a judge. It takes a lot of confidence in yourself, and you don’t want to say something that’s going to tank them in the competition. It’s just something that they need to be thinking about if they go forward.”

I’m honestly surprised this has become such a talking point this season, because what in the world are these judges there for if not to giving honest feedback in order to help the contestants grow and be better so they can have a real shot at winning…

But I’m glad to hear that Carrie is unbothered by it, and again, if there’s anyone the contestants should be listening to, it’s one of the shows’ most successful winners of all-time.