‘American Idol’ Stars Take Us Behind the Scenes of Carrie Underwood’s First Season as Judge

Kate Hahn February 26, 2025, 9:00 am

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Lionel Richie, Ryan Seacrest, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan - American Idol — Disney / Eric McCandless

Anticipation fills the historic Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles on a bright January day. Contestants for the 23rd season of iconic singing competition American Idol are arriving for the taping of Hollywood Week, a vocal boot camp for the top auditioners. Some of the 140 hopefuls, with acoustic guitars slung over their sequined minidresses, practice in the bathroom, their voices spilling into a wood-paneled lower lobby where the trio of superstar musician judges who will decide their Idol destinies are cozied up on a sofa for a chat with TV Guide Magazine.

For new judge Carrie Underwood, who joins legendary soul/R&B balladeer Lionel Richie and country sensation Luke Bryan, the day is a mind-blowing trip back in time. “I had my Hollywood Week in this theater,” says the Oklahoma-born star, who won the series’ fourth season in 2005 and is the first contestant to return as a judge. “In my memory, it was so much bigger. At 21 years old, I’d never been on a plane, never seen anything quite like it. It seemed so grand and massive, and there were so many other contestants. Now I’m sitting at that judges’ table watching them. I’ll see somebody sing and think, ‘Oooh, this is the Bo Bice of this year.’ It’s impossible not to be a bit nostalgic.”

Rocker Bice placed second to Underwood, whose fame was kindled on Idol and exploded after her smash single “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” which was followed by numerous hits and sold-out concert tours.

Underwood continues, “So many [of the same] people are still very much involved. It made it feel a lot more like coming home.” One of them is host Ryan Seacrest, who announced the singer’s big win live on TV. When we spoke with him later over the phone, he recalled, “An incredible number of votes came in for her, and I remember the electricity that we felt in that moment. There are thingsI still see in her that remind me of the first time I met her. She’s still curious, gets excited about little things and has that charming awe about her when she’s watching other talent.”

The producers were already thinking about inviting Underwood back one day when rocker Katy Perry announced in February 2024 that she was stepping away from her judge role. “When I heard that, I thought, I wonder if they would ever call me!” Underwood confesses.

They did, and the “Before He Cheats” singer made it public last August. “To bring back one of our own, who is on the same level as the other judges, makes a statement that this show creates superstars,” Seacrest enthuses.

Carrie Underwood Shares Then & Now Photos Ahead of 'American Idol' Return

The fresh addition quickly found her rhythm with Richie and Bryan. While shooting Season 23 last fall, the trio put in long days in New York, Nashville and Los Angeles, seeing the top options from the hundreds of thousands of people who auditioned. Those, and the tapings from January and February, will be featured in the first few episodes before the live shows and viewer voting begin (a special preview also airs after the Oscars on Sunday, March 2, before the March 9premiere). Richie says one moment that bonded them was when Underwood brought in homemade treats from her Tennessee farm. “It was just one of those refreshing moments,” says the Grammy winner. “We couldn’t stop eating!”

When asked if there’s a hazing ritual for an Idol judge, Richie and Bryan shake their heads and smile—they’re obviously too nice for that!—but they do say there’s one painful initiation they’ve all experienced.

“It was the same thing we went through: How do I say that many nos? [Carrie] was a nervous wreck,” Richie says. “I go home some nights going, ‘OK, how can I help this contestant?’ We get so invested in their stories and lives that we almost become the parents. We want for them to win in life.”

Bryan agrees: “We are really careful with how we interact with these kids,not being overly harsh or critical. We try to offer them up positive stuff to where they can leave this experience and it’s still up for them to go make their music career happen.”

With two country-star judges in Underwood and Bryan, you might think that the genre is destined to dominate this season, but Bryan promises a spectrum as broad as the diversity of the contestants. “All of these kids coming through the door are a direct representative of what America is about,” he says. “They come from all different backgrounds.”

So, what is that special something that makes someone a star? Says Richie, “You can hear the same song over and over again and then this person walks out and makes that song sound like it’s the first time you’ve heard it.” All three judges hint at massive talent this season. Underwood even says with a laugh, “I’ve seen some people and I’m like, ‘I’m glad you weren’t born when I was trying out!’”

American Idol, Season 23 Premiere, Sunday, March 9, 8/7c, ABC (next day on Hulu)