Carrie Underwood got her start by winning Season 4 of American Idol in 2005, and now she might be returning to the show that made her famous. Per Deadline, the 41-year-old is reportedly taking over as a judge for Katy Perry for the upcoming Season 23. Perry announced earlier this year that she was leaving after seven seasons to pursue other interests.
Underwood was just 21 years old and a student in college, when she won American Idol.
“The summer before my senior year, I was home one day, watching TV — the one in the living room — and saw a news segment about people auditioning for the show American Idol. I checked online. The closest auditions were being held in St. Louis,” Underwood recalled to Guideposts.
Underwood sang Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” for her audition, impressing Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson enough that she made it onto the show, kicking off a career that has spanned almost 20 years.
As of 2023, the mother of two still drove the Ford Mustang she won as part of her prize package on Idol.
“I do still have the car that I won when I won American Idol,” Underwood revealed on Apple Music’s Today’s Country Radio with Kelleigh Bannen. “So I have my blue Mustang. And every once in a while something will happen where I’ll have my car getting serviced or whatever, and I’ll get to drive that car. And it always makes me want to drive it more, because it was such a pivotal point in my life. That was the car that I was driving around when I first moved to Tennessee, and I’m very, very glad I still have that car.
“Like I said, every time I get in it, I’m always like, ‘Why don’t I just drive this more often?’” she added. “Just because, it makes me feel good.”
Underwood might have kept the car, but she did politely turn down one gift — the use of a private jet for a year — after winning American Idol, when she found out how much it would cost her.
“Even when you’re on a show like that, it’s not like I had money all of a sudden, and a lot of times when someone gives you a gift of that magnitude you have to pay taxes on it,” the Oklahoma native told The Guardian. “I didn’t have the money to pay taxes on a jet, so I was like, ‘I’m good, thanks.’”
Photo Credit: Jeff Johnson
If Underwood is indeed on American Idol, that will mean even more time on the West Coast. She also just announced she is extending her REFLECTIONS: The Las Vegas Residency into 2025, due to fan demand.
Both Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie are returning as judges for their eighth season. It was Blake Shelton who convinced Bryan to be a judge on American Idol, after seeing what The Voice did for his own career.
“We’ve talked about our careers in those roles,” Bryan told Lon Helton on Country Countdown USA. “Blake was a big reason why I decided to do American Idol. Him stepping down from The Voice, I know he’s ready. He’s ready to move to the next chapter. It’s gotta be a good feeling. I wish him nothing but the best, and I thank him for paving the way for there to be a voice of country music on TV like that.”
Underwood has a new song, “Leave A Light On (Talk Away The Dark),” with Papa Roach, out on Friday, August 2. All proceeds from the song will go to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).
A premiere date for Season 23 of American Idol has yet to be announced, but will take place in early 2025. Find all of Underwood’s music and tour dates at CarrieUnderwoodOfficial.com.