Carrie Underwood is making it clear that she stands by her constructive criticism in spite of potential backlash — and booing.
During the Wednesday, April 8, episode of the “American Idol Official Podcast,” host Danielle Fishel asked what Underwood, 43, thought about the strong public response to her insight as a judge.
“You gave some very constructive criticism about some moments that you thought were very magical and then maybe some moments where it wasn’t so good, and you got booed,” Fishel, 44, said to Underwood, who quipped, “I don’t care.”
Fellow judge Luke Bryan jumped in to share his take on the situation.
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“It’s tough to do as a judge. It takes a lot of confidence in yourself, and you don’t want to say something that’s going to tank them in the competition,” Bryan, 49, said. “It’s just something that they need to be thinking about if they go forward.”
Underwood stood by her decision to be honest with the contestants, saying, “I can’t lie, I’m a terrible liar. As a fan of the show, if there was ever somebody that kind of had an off night and everybody’s like, ‘Oh, my God that’s so great,’ I’m sitting at home being like, ‘What? Liars!’”
She continued: “You want them to pay attention to those things going forward. They’re obviously talented or they wouldn’t be here right now.”
Underwood, who joined the singing competition show in 2025, recently came under fire when she shared her candid thoughts on contestant Mor’s performance.
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“I feel you guys are gonna boo me,” Underwood said in the March episode. “It’s coming — just bring it on. I love it. Your boos are feeding me.”
Underwood questioned Mor’s choice to sing an original song without a backing band, adding, “In a room like this, for you to bring an original song with that incredible band sitting behind you twiddling their thumbs … I feel like it was just a missed opportunity.”
Despite the critical feedback, Underwood shared some praise as well. “I love your voice. I love you,” she said. “But I loved being in an intimate room like that with you and listening to you tell your story. I feel like you took a risk here and it paid off.”
Underwood immediately upset the crowd, which once again caused Bryan to defend her, saying, “She only won this [show in 2005]. She knows.”
