Why Was Carrie Underwood Booed on ‘American Idol’?

Every American Idol judging panel needs a villain, and this year it’s Carrie Underwood. The singer, who famously won the show’s fourth season in 2005, returned as a judge last year and is back for her second season behind the table. This time around, the crowd is not digging her. Back in February, Underwood warned her X followers that she got “booed A LOT from our Hollywood Week audience.” People in her comments assumed that the booing was politically motivated, given the fact that she performed at Donald Trump’s inauguration. As it turned out, the audience was just letting her know that they didn’t approve of her very mild criticism.

During Monday’s Hollywood Week episode (which actually took place in Nashville), Ryan Seacrest announced in voice-over that “Professor Carrie’s Hollywood Week lessons have some students turning against her.” We then saw clips of Underwood saying that she was “not sure” if someone picked the right song and that someone else sang a few notes that made her wonder, “What’s happening right now?” Both of these comments earned her boos from the audience.

Her fellow judge Luke Bryan also offered some gentle pushback to the contestants but didn’t get the same reaction. “Why don’t they boo you?” Underwood asked him. “I don’t know, I’m trying to get booed,” he told her.

Later, Underwood watched as a contestant named Mor sang an original song while playing the guitar. After he finished, she turned to Bryan and said, “They’re gonna boo me.”

“You guys are gonna boo me,” Underwood repeated to the audience before leveling her critique. “You’re gonna boo me! It’s coming, just bring it on. I love it! Your boos are feeding me.” Underwood then told Mor that it was a “missed opportunity” for him to sing his own song when he had the opportunity to use the show’s band. As predicted, the audience booed her. She then told Mor that she loved his voice, and he ultimately made it to the top 30.

“Boo me. I don’t care. 😂😜🤪,” Underwood wrote on X yet again while this exchange was airing. Honestly, I believe her. She was basically gentle parenting these contestants compared to what her generation of Idols had to endure from Simon Cowell.