American Idol judge Carrie Underwood wants the show’s fans to know she isn’t phased by their disapproval.
Underwood, who drew criticism for performing at Donald Trump’s inauguration last January, told viewers, “Boo me. I don’t care.”
During a tense moment on Monday night’s episode of the musical reality show, Underwood, 42, was booed for critiquing a contestant. Twenty-two-year-old Mor Ilderton, previously a contestant on The Voice, performed an original song that Underwood said was “a missed opportunity.”
“In a room like this, for you to bring an original song with that incredible band sitting behind you, twiddling their thumbs,” he hadn’t utilized the tools available, Underwood told him.
She knew her take on the performance wasn’t going to go over well with the crowd before she shared it, telling them just before, “You guys are gonna boo me. You’re gonna boo me,” on part two of the show’s “Hollywood Week: Music City Takeover” episode in Nashville. “It’s coming. Bring it on. I love it! Your boos are feeding me.”
Fellow judge Luke Bryan defended Underwood, who won the show’s Season 4 cycle in 2005. “She only won this. She knows,” he said.
Added Underwood to the audience, “You’re not included in the discussions.” She then asked Bryan, “Why don’t they boo you?”
He replied, “I don’t know, I’m trying to get booed.”
Ahead of the show, Underwood teased that viewers would see her clash with the audience. “Spoiler alert…I get booed A LOT from our Hollywood Week audience @AmericanIdol,” she wrote in another post on X on Feb. 16. The comments sections of her posts are often filled with fans expressing their disappointment in her support of Trump.
The country singer addressed the fan pushback she gets on the show when she promoted its return on SiriusXM’s “The Highway” last year. “Sometimes I get in trouble from people like, ‘How dare she say that it wasn’t perfect?’” she said at the time.
“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.”
