Carrie Underwood's Reputation Has Crumbled Before Our Eyes

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For a good 15 years, Carrie Underwood could do no wrong. In the immediate aftermath of her fourth season victory on "American Idol" in 2005, the Oklahoma native topped both the Hot 100 and Billboard 200, sold millions of records, and picked up three Grammy Awards, including the coveted Best New Artist. And she continued to parlay her staggering early success well into the 2010s, breaking all kinds of chart records, embarking on numerous box office-smashing tours, and even entering Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

But in recent times, Underwood's golden girl reputation has taken somewhat of an almighty hit, even if some claims against her were rumors. It was likely a highly controversial appearance at a certain presidential inauguration ceremony that served as the catalyst. From celebrity callouts to controversial talent show returns, here's a look at why the artist who looked destined to eventually succeed Dolly Parton as the Queen of Country appears to have fallen down the line to the throne.

Having previously expressed her support for the LGBTQ community, Carrie Underwood surprised everyone in January 2025 when she agreed to perform "America the Beautiful" at the inauguration ceremony for Donald Trump's second stint in the White House. After all, the soon-to-be 47th president of the United States had previously been called out for his efforts to stifle gay rights during his time as the 45th.

"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," the "American Idol" winner told The Independent about the controversial decision. "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."

However, many fans felt betrayed by the booking. "I'm blocking her on all apps and boycotting all her music," came the response from one disgruntled X user (via The Independent). Over on Instagram, another former fan expressed their disappointment with the words, "Don't ever call yourself an LGBTQ ally again, you're supporting the man that wants to abolish LGBTQ rights, you should be ashamed." Underwood's performance was all the more unexpected for the fact that eight years previously, she'd appeared at the Country Music Awards for a duet with Brad Paisley, taking aim at Trump's incessant use of social media.

After receiving one almighty backlash before she'd even sung a note at Donald Trump's second presidential inauguration ceremony (just one of many controversies that have rocked her reputation), Carrie Underwood no doubt hoped that her performance, at the very least, would go off without a hitch. Unfortunately for the "Jesus, Take the Wheel" singer, things didn't quite turn out that way.

In front of a 600-strong audience which included the likes of Apple boss Tim Cook, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, and Elon Musk, Underwood was left without any musical support whatsoever when the backing track to "America the Beautiful" failed to kick in. 

Following a delay, Underwood decided to serve up an a cappella rendition, with a little assistance from the U.S. Naval Academy Glee Club and Armed Forces Choir. "You know the words — help me out here," she implored the crowd (via Yahoo! Entertainment), too. Although her quick thinking saved the day and showed that her voice was still as strong as back in her "American Idol" beginnings, she still didn't post any footage from the event on any of her socials. 

As you would expect, Carrie Underwood wasn't particularly happy with how her take on "America the Beautiful" at Donald Trump's second presidential inauguration ceremony was blighted by a technical glitch and a general lack of professionalism from organizers. And according to insiders, the country star didn't hold back when she returned to the backstage area.

Indeed, one anonymous source told the Daily Mail that Underwood believed that, compared to previous inauguration singers like Lady Gaga and Beyoncé, she hadn't been treated with the same amount of respect. "Carrie was dissatisfied with her performance at the event, primarily due to the limited space she was given, which left her feeling cramped and uncomfortable," they claimed.

Underwood was also reportedly upset with the fact that she wasn't given an elevated stage and how quickly she was marched in and out of the performance area. "She is used to playing at massive venues with a stage to herself ... She felt like she was literally just in a room with people all around her and a microphone," the insider added while also alleging that the singer had thrown a "mini hissy fit" in response to the debacle.

If Carrie Underwood believed that her performance at Donald Trump's second presidential inauguration ceremony in 2025 would boost her streaming profile, she was soon brought back down to Earth. In fact, according to industry figures, her numbers on platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon actually decreased on the historic day.

The week before her rendition of "America the Beautiful" was hit with an embarrassing technical glitch, Underwood's back catalog was streamed by 1.55 million listeners. But that number fell to 1.46 million as she helped to celebrate the swearing in of the 47th. The only area the Oklahoma native saw a rise in was the floundering digital download market, but even then, she still failed to achieve more than 1,000 sales.

Underwood can perhaps take heart from the fact that she wasn't the only Trump-adjacent performer to witness such a slump. Nelly, who showcased his talents at the Liberty Ball, saw his numbers dive from 1.63 million to 1.54 million. Of course, this unforeseen side effect would no doubt have been music to the ears of Underwood's many detractors, whether from the general public or her showbiz peers. 

Carrie Underwood isn't on great terms with quite a few celebs already, but it seems fair to say there's someone she especially shouldn't expect a Christmas card from, and that's "General Hospital" actor Nancy Lee Grahn. The country star has been called out by the soap opera favorite on multiple occasions for agreeing to perform "America the Beautiful" at Donald Trump's second presidential inauguration in 2025.

"I thought everyone knew Carrie Underwood was MAGA," Grahn wrote on Threads in response to a Don Lemon video, which featured the talent show winner taking aim at the Affordable Care Act at the 2013 Country Music Awards. "She's American all right, but certainly no Idol." And a month later, the actor once again chided her new showbiz nemesis after learning that she'd be a guest on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" "I refuse to even look at Carrie Underwood," she posted.

Grahn later added that she wouldn't be tuning in to watch the offending episode in which Underwood was promoting the latest season of "American Idol" with fellow judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, "for obvious reasons." And she was supported in the comments section by Kathy Griffin, the comedian renowned for her protests against the Trump administration. "Yeah, no love for MAGA Carrie," she wrote. "It's not just about political disagreements anymore."

Carrie Underwood has chosen to stay quiet about all things Donald Trump since performing "America the Beautiful" at his second presidential inauguration in 2025 (here's a look at everything that Underwood has said about her politics).

An insider told the Daily Mail that the reason for the radio silence, however, might not necessarily be the reason you think. "Carrie has 'American Idol' to worry about, and being the voice of the NFL on Sunday Night and she also worries about losing her fan base, some of whom are very pro MAGA," they claimed, suggesting that Underwood might not be as pro-Trump as everyone believes. Still, her lack of clarification has undoubtedly lost her a sizable section of her fan base, the LGBTQ community she once claimed to have supported. 

Six years before celebrating Trump becoming POTUS again, Underwood told The Guardian that there's one subject she's deliberately steered clear of talking about explicitly: "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."

Fox no doubt thought they'd struck gold when they asked Carrie Underwood — a country singer with no previous notable controversies to her name — to replace Katy Perry on the judging panel of the show that launched her to fame in the summer of 2024. Of course, the events of six months later soon gave them pause for thought.

Following Underwood's performance at Donald Trump's second presidential inauguration ceremony — and the public backlash that followed — speculation began to mount that "American Idol" producers were concerned that viewership may take a tumble, too. "Once viewers stop talking about contestants and start arguing about judges, the brand takes a hit," an industry insider allegedly told Rob Shuter's Substack, Naughty But Nice. 

And such fears appeared to be founded when news of a worrying drop in ratings emerged. Although the season premiere posted relatively strong numbers, just 4.4 million viewers watched the three-hour faith-based Easter special, with the following evening's reveal attracting 300,000 fewer. And Underwood was reportedly responsible for pushing the former's religious aspect, the first time the talent show has embraced such a theme in its decade-spanning history.

After being appointed as Katy Perry's replacement on the 23rd season of "American Idol" in 2024, Carrie Underwood was asked by "Good Morning America" whether she would essentially become the show's new Simon Cowell. The "So Small" hitmaker immediately responded, "Oh, gosh, no. Just ask my kids." However, it seemed to be a different story when filming actually started.

Working alongside Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, Underwood fast developed a reputation as the meanest judge on the panel, once again suggesting that her previous girl-next-door persona wasn't particularly authentic. And in an interview with SiriusXM show "The Highway," the singer had little remorse for her more cutting critiques.

"Sometimes I get in trouble from people like, 'How dare she say that it wasn't perfect?'" Underwood explained (via E! News). "And I'm like, 'I just want everybody to learn and that's part of it.' And nobody wants to just hear that they're amazing all the time." The country star went on to argue that hearing nothing but good things is not conducive to a successful career.

As well as voting with their remote controls, a certain section of "American Idol" fans also appear to have let their displeasure at judge Carrie Underwood's alignment with Donald Trump be known in more audible ways. During the filming of a second-season episode in 2026, the country star suddenly found herself hearing jeers and not the usual cheers.

"Spoiler alert ... I get booed A LOT from our Hollywood Week audience," Underwood admitted on X alongside an emoji of an embarrassed face. The star, who was famously crowned the winner of the talent show's 2005 season, didn't elaborate on why exactly she received such a negative response. But much of social media believed that a performance for a certain President of the United States might have played a part.

And if Underwood expected some sympathy for this unpleasant crowd reaction, she was found wanting. "You took the extra step of making sure literally everyone dislikes you. Respect," remarked one detractor (via Fox News). "Lol. You bet. You sang for a mad man," another chimed in. "Have you been hacked? Odd you would mention it, good to know. I stopped watching it in 2025," wrote another, referring to the year that the Oklahoma native joined the judging panel.

Carrie Underwood didn't exactly help to dispel her mean judge reputation in the "American Idol" season 23 finale with how she responded to the eventual winner. While fellow judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie appeared happy as Larry over Jamal Roberts' victory, the country star seemed strangely ungracious.

Underwood did join in with the standing ovation on the announcement that the 27-year-old former elementary school teacher had joined the likes of Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia Barrino, and, of course, herself in the show's hall of fame. However, while her fellow superstars remained on their feet for Roberts' post-win performance of "Her Heart" by Anthony Hamilton, she decided to return to her seat.

And further evidence that Underwood, who in 2022 shared an emotional memory about the night she won "American Idol," was less than happy about the result came when she took to the stage with the other two judges to personally offer Roberts their well-wishes. Yes, while Richie and Bryan were all smiles, the "Inside Your Heaven" singer barely gave the overjoyed new Idol a second look. "She was just nasty, biased, and unmoved the ENTIRE season," remarked just one of many disgruntled viewers on X. "Of course, you root for your fave(s) internally. But her outright displays were atrocious. Her disdain was so obvious. I hope she is NOT there ever again!"

Of course, there were signs before performing at Donald Trump's second presidential inauguration that Carrie Underwood may lean to the right. In 2021, for example, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the country singer liked an anti-masking video posted by The Daily Wire's super-conservative Matt Walsh.

In the offending clip, the latter could be seen advocating against the government-imposed mask mandates while holding court at a school board meeting in Nashville, essentially arguing that anyone under the age of 18 was being subjected to child abuse by such policies. Walsh himself later tweeted (via the Los Angeles Times) on Underwood's apparent seal of approval in a typically snarky manner: "She should know better than to indirectly endorse the opinions of an extremist and scoundrel such as myself. Her lack of judgment is appalling. I demand that she renounce me and apologize."

But not everyone was taking this high-profile, strongly implied anti-mask support so lightly. One detractor commented on X, "Carrie Underwood being Anti Vaxx ... anyways we still stan Kelly Clarkson forever the best winner of 'American Idol.'" Another noted how, in stark contrast, Dolly Parton had used her own money to help finance a COVID-19 vaccine, adding, "Class vs trash." Here's a look at several other rumors that will always haunt Underwood. 

Following her "American Idol" triumph in 2005, Carrie Underwood impressively managed to score more than a dozen Hot 100 hits before the decade was out. And perhaps even more impressively, she managed to sustain this success throughout the 2010s, too, racking up a similar number of singles chart entries while also taking her tally of Billboard 200 chart-toppers to four. Yet, on top of several other rumors that will always haunt Underwood, The American record-buying public, or should that be American streaming public, however, has been less receptive in recent years.

In fact, Underwood hasn't reached the Top 50 on her own since 2018's "Cry Pretty." Her only other appearances in the top half of the Hot 100 have been guest spots with Jason Aldean (2021's "If I Didn't Love You") and Cody Johnson (2024's "I'm Gonna Love You"). And while she regularly topped the U.S. Country Chart with ease back in her heyday, she hasn't done so since "Something in the Water," the lead single from "Greatest Hits: Decade #1" back in 2014.

Furthermore, Underwood's last studio effort, 2022's "Denim and Rhinestones," only just scraped into the Top 10, making it the lowest charting of her nine albums. Having since alienated much of her fanbase with her performance at Donald Trump's second presidential inauguration ceremony, it will be interesting to see how her next record — whenever that may appear — will fare.