Country Music Icon Slammed for “Mar-a-Lago Face”
Fans deemed the ‘American Idol’ star “unrecognizable” in photos.
Mike Blake/Reuters
Fans criticized Carrie Underwood for her “unrecognizable” appearance.
After the Grammy-winning country star performed at the CMA television tribute to the late Dolly Parton, her appearance sparked an uproar on social media.
“Is that Carrie Underwood?” one person wrote on Instagram under a photo of the singer. “That looks nothing like her…What did she do?”
Commenters claimed cosmetic tweaks and heavy makeup had transformed Carrie Underwood “unrecognizable.”
Jason Kempin/Getty Images
Many commenters said the 43-year-old’s appearance reminded them of the “Mar-a-Lago Face,” a term coined to describe especially MAGA women who undergo excessive cosmetic tweaks to achieve exaggerated features.
“She was so beautiful. She didn’t need all the work done to her face,” one fan wrote on Instagram. “She had natural beauty. Doesn’t even look [like] the same person.”
Commenters claimed Carrie Underwood's tan was orange as she performed at The Fisher Center for the Performing Arts on October 21, 2026, in Nashville, Tennessee.
Jason Kempin/Getty Images
Underwood was also called out for her “orange” tan.
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“Carrie got the same spray tan as Tim McGraw,” one person quipped, referencing McGraw’s viral look from the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Class of 2026 Medallion Ceremony on Oct. 18.
Fans compared Carrie Underwood’s tan to Tim McGraw’s. Pictured here with Ricky Skaggs at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Class of 2026 Medallion Ceremony on October 18, 2026, in Nashville, Tennessee.
Terry Wyatt/Getty Images
Underwood has long received comments for wearing heavy makeup, another trademark of the MAGA beauty aesthetic.
“It would be nice to see her in a more natural look,” one fan wrote. “But she always has double the makeup that one needs.”
Fans have long commented on Carrie Underwood’s “excessive” makeup. Here in 2005 and in 2023.
Fred Prouser;Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
Underwood became famous in 2005 at only 22, when she won the fourth season of American Idol. She has been a judge on the show since season 23, which aired in 2025.
Carrie Underwood won the fourth season of “American Idol” in 2005.
Mario Anzuoni/Reuters
In early 2025, Underwood faced major backlash after she performed “America the Beautiful” at President Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony.
Carrie Underwood faced backlash after she performed at President Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony in Washington, D.C., in January 2025.
Shawn Thew/Pool via Reuters
In a statement to the Daily Beast, Underwood said, “I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the Inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event.”
Adding, “I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future.”
Carrie Underwood with her Grammys for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” and for Best New Artist, at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles in 2007.
Mike Blake/Reuters
In 2018, Underwood addressed plastic surgery rumors in an interview with Redbook: “My mom will be like, ‘Did you see they are saying this about you?’ And I’ll be like, ‘Mama, I don’t care. I’m just trying to raise my son and live my life.’”
Underwood is married to former professional hockey player Mike Fisher, and the couple shares two sons: Isaiah, 11, and Jacob, 7.
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