When Carrie Underwood auditioned for American Idol in 2005, she had no idea how much that one performance would change literally everything for her. The 41-year-old returns, this time as a judge, working alongside Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, 20 years after she was crowned the Season 4 winner.
In a new video clip, Underwood shares her tearful return to the show that made her famous.
“I can’t believe it,” an emotional Underwood says. “20 years ago, I was standing on a stage just like this one.”
When Underwood announced her return to American Idol, she recalled her seemingly innocuous decision to even audition for the reality TV talent show.
“I remember being at home in our little house in Checotah, and seeing on TV that there were auditions in St. Louis. My mom said, ‘If you want to go, I’ll drive you,’” Underwood recalls.
“I went from nobody knowing my name to tens of millions of people watching the show.,” she continues. “I’m proud of everything that I was able to accomplish on the show, and I’m so proud of everything that I’ve accomplished since.”
In addition to host Ryan Seacrest, many other people who worked on American Idol in 2005 are still there today, making it feel like a reunion for the country music superstar.
“it feels like home,” Underwood tells Good Morning America. “There are so many people that even still work on the show that were there when I was a contestant. And I feel like being on both sides of the coin, I’ll be able to hopefully offer some insight and help and kind of offer a different viewpoint.”
Bryan and Richie are also both eager to have Underwood be part of American Idol, with the Grand Ole Opry member taking the place left vacant when Katy Perry exited after last season.
“It’s going great,” Bryan boasts to Extra. “Carrie and I had always been in the business together, but we never spent much time together, so to sit behind the desk and watch her really learn how to transition out of being the winner of American Idol and a superstar to being the judge at the table, but she’s doing good. The main thing is as long as she don’t pick up any of my habits. I don’t want to influence her in any way.”
Photo Credit: Courtesy of ABC
“It makes a lot of sense,” Richie adds to E! News. “It’s not someone we have to get used to. And the fact that she has a great story — she came from American Idol. What a great judge. In other words, now we don’t have to explain anymore, ‘We know how you feel.’ As artists, we know how you feel, but we’ve never been in that oval that says ‘American Idol.’ So for her, she’s been there, done that.
“To have her on the show,” he continues, “she can really speak from what they have to go through, what they’re feeling, and on top of that, just be a ham sandwich, like the two of us. Welcome to the ham sandwich squad.”
Underwood will team up with Seacrest at the end of the year, when she headlines Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2025 in New York City. She recently announced she was ending her REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency in 2025. Find all of her music and tour dates at CarrieUnderwoodOfficial.com.
Season 23 of American Idol will premiere on March 9, 2025 on ABC.