Carrie Underwood Shares What Kind of Judge She’ll Be

It’s been a long time since an American Idol judge expressed what everyone watching was truly thinking. That could change when Carrie Underwood joins the show next year.

Underwood was officially announced as a new American Idol judge on Thursday (Aug. 1). She’ll join Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie for Season 23 in 2025. Host Ryan Seacrest is also returning, a familiar face since Underwood won Season 4 in 2005. 

It’s unlikely Underwood will rival Simon Cowell as the most brutal American Idol judge in history. Times have certainly changed, and the show has pivoted away from making fun of bad performances to celebrating the good. Since ABC took over for Season 16, viewers have mostly had to read between the lines to hear criticism from judges like Bryan, Richie, or Perry. Underwood referred to her honesty as a “big problem.”

“I can’t lie,” she told GMA on Friday morning (Aug. 2). “I just can’t. You can tell. I feel like I’ll be very honest, but hopefully I can be very constructive and encouraging,” she added.

Underwood is not a country singer known to spout off controversial takes on politics, social changes, country music, or just about anything. Earlier this week she called her sheep a “bully,” and that felt cutting between pictures of melons and sleepy tree frogs. Given how much she’s grown up under a spotlight, we really know little about her.

It seems like she’s pretty competitive, and it’s clear she’s near the top of the mountain in terms of vocal talent and on-stage energy. It would be captivating if she acted like it on television twice a week.

Continuing her convo with GMA, she did hedge. At the end of the day, she shares, she’ll be a nice judge. “Just ask my kids. I’m not too (hard on them).” she remarked.