Carrie Underwood Didn’t Get A Warm Welcome From The Hollywood Week Audience On American Idol
Carrie Underwood‘s recent admission that she was “booed” on American Idol sparked a flood of critical comments.
Season 24 of American Idol premiered on January 26. Judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood all returned alongside host Ryan Seacrest.
Underwood, who won Idol‘s fourth season in 2005, became a first-time judge last year (2025).
After several weeks, the Idol auditions are over. The next phase is Hollywood Week, which will be held in Nashville this year instead of Los Angeles.
The Hollywood Week episodes were pre-taped, so the contestants and judges already know what happened. Hollywood Week typically features a live audience, and apparently, that audience did not always respond warmly to Underwood.
“Spoiler alert…I get booed A LOT from our Hollywood Week audience,” Underwood posted on X (formerly Twitter) on February 16. She tagged the show in her post and included a flushed-faced emoji.
Spoiler alert…I get booed A LOT from our Hollywood Week audience. 😳 @AmericanIdol
— Carrie Underwood (@carrieunderwood) February 17, 2026
Carrie Underwood’s Confession She Was “Booed” On Idol Sparks Heated Discourse
Although Underwood didn’t explain why she was booed, her confession led to some fiery comments. Many assumed she was booed because of her decision to sing “America the Beautiful” at President Donald Trump’s inauguration in 2025.
Underwood faced significant backlash leading up to and following the performance. That backlash has continued, as the comments on her post about being booed on Idol show. Some such comments were:
“You earned it.”
“I’ve been booing you since the inauguration.”
“And it’s still not loud enough.”
“Here let me help… BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.”
“they shouldve threw [sic] tomatoes at you too.”
“Maybe- hear me out because I know this is wild- you should take the hint.”
Others came to Underwood’s defense, writing:
“Good! The last thing you want is Hollywood thinking well of you.”
“For every one boo you have 100,000 cheers.”
“Welcome to the club. Serving Jesus comes with a price. I’ll pay it every day.”
“That means you are doing something right.”
“Don’t worry stay true to yourself! We love you Carrie!!
“Wear it like a badge of honor!”
However, it’s unclear if Underwood was booed because of her inauguration performance.
In fact, it seems likely the audience booed her when they didn’t agree with her critiques of the contestants. Underwood has admitted that she can be a “tough” judge who doesn’t sugarcoat her feedback.
“Sometimes I get in trouble from people like, ‘How dare she say that it wasn’t perfect?’” Underwood once told Sirius XM’s The Highway. “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.”
What’s The Schedule For New Episodes Of American Idol?
You can see Underwood, the other Idol judges, and the talented contestants when Hollywood Week starts on Monday, February 23.
Beyond that, look below to see a schedule of upcoming episodes:
- February 23 – Episode 5, “Hollywood Week In Music City – Part 1”
- March 2 – Episode 6, “Hollywood Week In Music City – Part 2”
- March 9 – Episode 7, “Ohana Round”
- March 16 – Episode 8, “Top 20 at Disney’s Aulani Resort in Hawai’i – Part 1”
- March 23 – Episode 9, “Top 20 at Disney’s Aulani Resort in Hawai’i – Part 2”
It seems safe to assume that the live shows will start the week after the March 23 episode in Hawaii. We’ll keep you in the loop as we learn more about the new episode schedule.
In the meantime, watch one of the standout auditions from this season in the video below. It features Hannah Harper, who went viral for her personal song “String Cheese.”
