Carrie's fellow American Idol season 4 alum, Constantine Maroulis, defended her decision to perform at President Donald Trump's inauguration. For American Idol season 23, Carrie will take Katy Perry's seat at the judging table alongside Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan. Although people initially thought that Carrie would be the perfect judge because she won American Idol season 4, there are some signs that she might be failing because some fans have now vowed to boycott the show because of her inauguration performance, causing host Ryan Seacrest to take her under his wing.

Constantine defended Carrie's decision to perform at President Trump's inauguration.

In an interview with OK Magazine, Constantine defended Carrie's decision to perform at President Trump's inauguration. He explained, "Carrie knows her brand. She’s got great people [around her]. She knows her audience. She's Carrie Underwood. She's not Taylor Swift necessarily. She's her own person. She's got her own lane." Constantine added that Carrie "knows what she's doing."

Constantine said that he wasn't surprised by the buzz that surrounded Carrie's inauguration performance, but he thinks that Carrie is a good person at heart. He said, "You know, just like the president knows, every time he says some wild s---, it's gonna light up the internet, take over the news cycle. You know how it is these days — you have to sort of sell that to sell anything, unfortunately. I think deep down Carrie is a good person."

Unlike many others, Constantine wasn't shocked by Carrie's decision to President Trump at the inauguration because of her past actions. He stated, "I'm not surprised about where she sort of sits politically or socially and all of that. But I still think that we can all have different opinions and ions about it… but she’s hosted the Country [Music] Awards. She did some jokes about Obamacare. I mean, it’s not really new, is it?"

Constantine went on to sing his fellow American Idol season 4 alum's praises. He gushed, "She’s had an incredible career. I knew she was going to be very successful. I knew early on how talented she was. She’s just got an instrument [her voice]. She can wake up and just park it and bark it as they say."

Constantine also complimented how Carrie handled the technical issues during her inauguration performance, which caused her to sing "America the Beautiful" a cappella. He said that she "killed it. She just said, 'Let's just sing it.' You know, that's someone that knows what she's doing, and I think it ended up working out better this way for her. It might have softened a little of the people out there that were looking at it [in] a harsh kind of way." Constantine concluded by saying that Carrie will be the "perfect judge," and he called her the "epitome" of American Idol.

Carrie knows her brand. She’s got great people [around her]. She knows her audience. She's Carrie Underwood. She's not Taylor Swift necessarily. She's her own person. She's got her own lane.

What Constantine Maroulis Defending Carrie Means For American Idol

Constantine Has Known Carrie For Twenty Years

Constantine has known Carrie for twenty years because they both competed on American Idol season 4. She won the season, while he placed sixth. They experienced being on the show together and also toured the country on the American Idols Live Tour 2005. They presumably got to know each other very well during that time, and, although twenty years have ed, Constantine knows who Carrie is and what she's all about. The fact that he's defending her when he doesn't seem to agree with her politics, shows that he cares about her as a person.

Our Take On Constantine Maroulis Defending Carrie Underwood

Carrie Made A Controversial Decision

Carrie's decision to perform at President Trump's inauguration was polarizing. While some fans have vowed not to watch the show until she's no longer a judge, others have embraced her even more. Constantine's decision to defend Carrie's choice is a mature one because he's showing that people can disagree with Carrie's politics, but still enjoy her as a judge on American Idol.

Constantine pointed out all of the reasons why Carrie is uniquely qualified to be an American Idol judge, from her experience on the show to her incredible talent and success. Just like Ryan, who's been protective of Carrie, Constantine is also defending her. While it's a shame that there's so much controversy surrounding American Idol season 23 because of Carrie becoming a judge, hopefully the season's contestants will overshadow any backlash.

American Idol season 23 premieres on Sunday, March 9 at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.

Source: OK Magazine