Carrie Underwood returns to American Idol this season, and if you think she’s too tough on contestants — she has a message for you.
With Season 24 premiering Monday (Jan. 26), Underwood’s back behind the judges’ table alongside Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie.
As the spotlight turns to this year’s hopefuls, we’re revisiting what Underwood had to say about her role on the panel — and why honesty, not sugarcoating, is her style.
“Sometimes I get in trouble from people like, ‘How dare she say that it wasn’t perfect?’” Underwood admitted..
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.
“Maybe some people do. But that’s not going to get you anywhere,” she added with a laugh.
The Grammy winner made it clear that her critiques come from a place of encouragement — not negativity.
“We just want everybody to be able to grow and get better, and be the most awesome version of themselves that they could be,” she explained.
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Still, Underwood admitted that becoming a judge hasn’t been the easiest transition — especially when it comes to letting her guard down on camera.
“I’m not great at that, am I?” she joked. “In general, I feel like I’m such a private person. I’ve just never been great at putting down the walls and feeling like I could be myself. I’m slightly better than I used to be.”
From Contestant to Judge
Underwood knows the Idol stage better than most. She won Season 4 back in 2005, performing alongside Constantine Maroulis and runner-up Bo Bice.
That same year, she released her debut album Some Hearts, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart — and launched one of country’s biggest careers.
What to Know About Season 24 of ‘American Idol’
Season 24 of American Idol premieres Monday (Jan. 26) at 8 PM ET on ABC. New episodes will air live each Monday and will be available to stream the next day on Hulu.
Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie are all back as judges, with Ryan Seacrest returning as host.
