Carrie Underwood was not the top choice to replace Katy Perry on American Idol, but an insider exclusively tells Life & Style that she got the job after agreeing to a cut price salary that’s easily half of Katy’s exorbitant $25 million a season salary.

“It’s well known internally that Miley Cyrus was the network and the producers’ first choice to replace Katy, but topping Katy’s already-high salary was never on the table with Miley,” an ABC source tells Life & Style. “Katy’s enormous salary was an outlier and it was that high because ABC was asking for a lot of her time away from making music and performing, more time than she had ever given something other than her own pop career.”

The insider explains that it’s “different” when it comes to Carrie, 41, “because she’s been part of the Idol family since its early days and she has a vested interest in the franchise continuing.”

“She’s also just a natural at using her [past] appearances on the show to promote her own music, something we’re seeing Katy struggle with now that she ‘s back to being a full time pop star,” the source continues. “But another one of Carrie’s strengths is her humility, and Carrie did not need to be offered a Katy-sized salary to come back into the franchise.”

The insider adds, “Ego is not what drives her and she isn’t a greedy person. And culturally she’s a better fit with the show, the producers and ABC thanks to her middle-America appeal.”

The source concludes that Carrie is a smart choice to take over Katy’s role as judge because she’s well liked. “Everybody loves her because she’s so authentic and, frankly, normal,” the insider points out.

Katy, 39, announced her decision to leave American Idol after seven seasons in May. Following her departure, it was confirmed that Carrie was taking over her judging role in August.

While Carrie – who won season 4 of the singing competition show – is no stranger to American Idol, an additional insider previously told Life & Style that the judging gig will be “a huge step up” in her career.

“The bosses are relieved to have a glamorous country star of Carrie’s caliber on board, plus she has the history with the show,” the source shared. “The big question here is whether she’s got the temperament to handle this pressure as the bosses are banking on her to hit the ground running and deliver big ratings, plus how she reacts to the inevitable online trolling.”

Despite being a major move in her career, a third source previously told Life & Style that Carrie’s husband, Mike Fisher, wasn’t thrilled about her accepting the judging job.

Carrie Underwood Agreed to Pay Cut Before Being Named Katy Perry’s ‘American Idol’ Replacement
“He is a little concerned she may perform poorly under pressure,” the insider shared.

Meanwhile, the source added that the “Before He Cheats” singer was “stressed out” and felt like she was “under a lot of pressure” ahead of her judging debut. “Though she isn’t admitting it, Carrie thinks she may have taken on too much,” the insider revealed.