CARRIE Underwood’s future on American Idol has been revealed after producers were allegedly left ‘blindsided’ by the singer performing at Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Show producers learned of the news when it was officially announced to the rest of the world and are “not happy” about the upcoming season now being politicized, a source told The U.S. Sun.
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Carrie Underwood in Times Square for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, hosted by Ryan Seacrest 2025Credit: Getty
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(L-R) Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood, and Ryan Seacrest pose for a photo during American Idol Season 8 Judges Photo CallCredit: Getty
Once it was revealed that Carrie, 41, would be singing America The Beautiful for Donald Trump at the 47th Presidential Inauguration next week, fans came out in droves threatening to boycott the show.
The noise made many question what Carrie’s future on American Idol now looks like, as she was only announced as the new judge just a handful of months ago.
However, a source close to the singing competition series claimed that the Before He Cheats songstress is not going anywhere – for now.
“Carrie’s job is not in jeopardy” and as of now, there are “no talks of firing her. She will continue her role as a judge,” an insider said.
They continued: “It doesn’t conflict with any of her Idol taping dates and [the inauguration] is before this season airs, so it doesn’t go against anything in her contract.
“But there are producers that don’t approve and are worried.”
The insider explained that part of this fear stems from fans already loudly threatening to boycott the show altogether.
“I don’t think anyone at the show knew about Carrie singing at the inauguration ahead of it coming out, it caught them all off guard.
“A lot of viewers are already speaking of a boycott, whether or not that’s true or just noise will be seen after the ratings come in but the conversation it now brings Idol into is not what producers want.
“They don’t want the show to get political, they want it to be an escape from that.”
The source also claimed that Carrie’s on-camera co-stars, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, along with host Ryan Seacrest, are taken aback by the news as they may now be “sucked” into the political conversation that they “did not want to be a part of.”
“Ryan, Luke, and Lionel won’t be happy either because they will inevitably also get asked about it in some interview at some point and that’s not a topic they want to be sucked into.
“Overall the producers are not happy and figuring out how to move forward to be able to respond best when it gets brought up again during the season airing.
“Again the goal is to focus on the entertainment and the music and stay away from the politics.”
The U.S. Sun reached out to reps for American Idol and Carrie for comment.
Earlier this week, Carrie announced that she will perform for Trump, 78, as he is sworn in as the 47th President of the United States.
‘I AM HUMBLED’
Carrie talked about the “honor”, saying in a statement: “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.
“I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future.”
Back in a 2019 interview with The Guardian, the Oklahoma native vowed to stay out of politics as she felt that “more people try to pin me places politically.”
Who are the past American Idol winners?
The previous American Idol winners include:
Kelly Clarkson (2002)
Ruben Studdard (2003)
Fantasia Barrino (2004)
Carrie Underwood (2005)
Taylor Hicks (2006)
Jordin Sparks (2007)
David Cook (2008)
Kris Allen (2009)
Lee DeWyze (2010)
Phillip Phillips (2012)
Candice Glover (2013)
Caleb Johnson (2014)
Nick Fradiani (2015)
Trent Harmon (2016)
Maddie Poppe (2018)
Laine Hardy (2019)
Just Sam (2020)
Chayce Beckham (2021)
Noah Thompson (2022)
Iam Tongi (2023)
“I try to stay far out of politics if possible, at least in public, because nobody wins.
“It’s crazy. Everybody tries to sum everything up and put a bow on it, like it’s black and white. And it’s not like that.”
Many of Carrie’s fans have already expressed disappointment with the star – with many fan pages switching to focus on other country artists such as Megan Moroney and Maren Morris.
Some have even threatened to boycott this upcoming season of American Idol after the announcement was made.
“Carrie Underwood, imagine the absolute tone-deafness of thinking that performing at the inauguration of a convicted felon and known adulterer (that’s 2 of 10, right???) would help heal the country.
Season 23 of American Idol will premiere on ABC on Sunday, March 9, 2025 and will be available to stream the following day on Hulu.
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Donald Trump arrives to speak during an election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Center on November 06, 2024Credit: Getty
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Carrie Underwood arrives as the crowd gathers in Times Square for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ EveCredit: Getty
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Lionel, Ryan, Carrie and Luke film auditions for next season of IdolCredit: Disney
