AMERICAN Idol producers are allegedly ‘not happy’ that Carrie Underwood will perform at the Presidential Inauguration as they fear viewers will ‘boycott’ the show, The U.S. Sun has learned.
Co-judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, along with host Ryan Seacrest, are allegedly taken aback by the news as they may now be “sucked” into the political conversation they “did not want to be a part of.”
Carrie Underwood performs on American Idol after winning season 4[/caption]
Donald Trump at a rally at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse at Montana State University on August 9, 2024 in Bozeman, Montana[/caption]
Carrie, 41, announced she was “honored” to play for Donald Trump at the 47th Presidential Inauguration that will be held on Monday, January 20th in Washington D.C.
The country star, who vowed in the past to “stay away” from politics, will be singing America The Beautiful.
As the performance on the world’s biggest stage will happen just over a month before the March 9th premiere of American Idol, producers on the show are now on edge over the potential backlash the show will face in wake of the inauguration.
“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.
“It doesn’t conflict with any of her Idol taping dates and it 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 loudly threatening to boycott the show altogether.
“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.”
(L-R) Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood, and Ryan Seacrest pose for a photo during American Idol Season 8 Judges Photo Call on October 02, 2024 in New York City[/caption]
Additionally, the source claimed that Carrie’s on-camera co-stars are also unhappy by the announcement as this will inevitably be brought up in interviews with them in the future.
“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.”
However, the source maintained that 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.”
The U.S. Sun reached out to reps for American Idol and Carrie for comment.
On Monday, it was announced that the Before He Cheats singer will perform for Trump, 78, as he is sworn in as the next President of the United States.
‘SMALL PART OF THIS HISTORIC EVENT’
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 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.”
“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.”
‘DAMAGED YOUR OWN LEGACY’
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.
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)
Scotty McCreery (2011)
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)
“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.
“I think you’ve just damaged your own legacy and the future of American Idol,” one person raged.
Another who claimed they will switch their TV’s off: “I won’t watch one second of this show with you on there.
“But do have fun singing for the convicted felon. I’m sure your version of Christianity has allowed you to justify your support of that pos.”
While one more said: “I’m actually going to miss her music. And now, I won’t be able to watch @AmericanIdol @carrieunderwood being a racist supporting, hate-endorsing, traitor-loving, orange-ass-kissing b***h was not on my 2025 bingo card.”
The 23rd season of American Idol will premiere on ABC on Sunday, March 9, 2025 and will be available to stream the following day on Hulu.
Carrie Underwood performs during Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2025 held in Times Square on December 31, 2024[/caption]
Carrie Underwood during American Idol Top 12 Finalists Party when she filmed her season on March 9, 2005[/caption]
