American Idol judge Carrie Underwood's future with the show hasn't been announced yet, but her lukewarm response to returning suggests that she might not be back for season 24. American Idol season 23 welcomed back long-time host Ryan Seacrest, along with judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan. However, for the first time since ABC revived the show in 2018 after its 2016 cancellation by FOX, there was a shakeup at the judges' table as Katy Perry exited the show after seven seasons in order to focus on her own music career again.

Carrie took Katy's place as a judge for American Idol season 23. She seemed like the perfect choice because she won American Idol season 4 in 2005, and has since gone on to become a global superstar. Fans raved about her sensational performances throughout the season, including "How Great Thou Art" and "Alone," but she also faced a lot of backlash because she didn't give much constructive criticism to the contestants. Will Carrie return as a judge for American Idol season 24?

What Did Carrie Underwood Say About Returning For American Idol Season 24?

Carrie Had A Lukewarm Response About Coming Back

In an interview with E! News , Carrie shared that she thought it would be "cool" to return for American Idol season 24, but she didn't give a definitive answer about coming back. She said, "I had a lot of fun, for sure. I didn't know how I would feel about it. And Luke and Lionel, and the crew, [and] the people who work on the show are just so easy to be around." When asked if she felt that the three of them should be back next season, she replied, "I mean, that would be cool, I think."

I mean, that would be cool, I think.

Carrie's use of bland words like "fun" and "cool" seem to indicate that she's not overly excited about returning for American Idol season 24. In addition, she seemed almost surprised that she had fun, considering that she followed that comment by saying that she didn't know how she'd feel about it. Carrie said nothing about enjoying her time as a judge, but instead she shifted the conversation to how much she liked working with the people on the show.

Of course, it's possible that Carrie isn't allowed to announce that she'll be back as an American Idol judge yet, but the fact that she wasn't raving about her time on the show seems to be a bad sign. Her comments reflect what was evident throughout the season: Carrie liked the people with whom she worked on American Idol, but she wasn't entirely comfortable in her role as a judge.

Carrie's American Idol Experience Might've Affected Her Ability To Judge Honestly

Carrie Was Worried About Seeming Mean

During the American Idol auditions, Carrie itted that she was worried about coming across as mean. This might've stemmed from the fact that, as American Idol contestant, she knew what it was like to receive criticism from the judges on national television, especially from the notoriously harsh Simon Cowell, who was a judge on her season. Although it seemed that being a former contestant could be an asset to Carrie because she was the only judge with firsthand experience with the show, it might've ended up affecting her ability to judge honestly.

While Carrie was never on the receiving end of Simon's meanest comments, he did call her robotic and wooden after two of her performances, and even said that she was like watching a kitten who wants to be a tiger during her rendition of Pat Benatar's rock classic, "Love Is A Battlefield." However, in a 2025 Instagram post, Carrie agreed with Simon's assessment of her being robotic during her performance of "Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts, and she even joked about it, but those comments surely stuck with her.

Although she reminisced about the negative , Simon's positive comments about Carrie probably stayed with her even more. After her performance of "Alone" by Heart, he told her that he predicted that not only would she win the show, but she'd sell more records than any other previous Idol winner. Carrie surely had this positive in the back of her mind as she was judging the American Idol season 23 contestants, ing how good it made her feel to be praised like that.

In addition, Lionel and Luke almost never say anything negative about the contestants, but instead they rave about how amazing they are after every performance. This hurt Carrie when she gave any sort of negative , especially when she critiqued eventual winner Jamal Roberts after his Top 5 performance of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. Carrie said that Jamal's voice was incredible, but she also told him that she thought that he missed an opportunity to move around and entertain. She explained that they were getting close to the end, and it was time to pull out all the stops.

Carrie stated that they knew that Jamal had it in him, and she wanted him to pull everyone in, not just with his voice, but with everything else that he had. She told him to put a hundred percent of himself into his performances. Carrie immediately faced fierce backlash for her comments from fans because they weren't used to hearing anything negative about Jamal up to that point in the season from any of the judges.

Carrie certainly wouldn't want to be perceived as the mean judge on the American Idol next to nice guys Lionel and Luke, so that, combined with her own personal experience with the show, might've caused her to hold back on any negative comments about the contestants. However, she received backlash for that as well, as some fans accused her of not doing her job. It seemed that Carrie couldn't win no matter what she did, so she might not want to come back for American Idol season 24 because of it.

Carrie Didn't Seem Comfortable As An American Idol Judge

Carrie Didn't Like American Idol Eliminations

Another reason that Carrie might not return for American Idol season 24 is because she didn't seem comfortable as a judge. She disliked the eliminations, especially the ones in which the judges had to make the decisions. In fact, during the Judges' Song Contest, she opted out of helping contest winners Lionel and Luke choose between saving finalists Mattie Pruitt and Josh King.

Right before the Judges' Save, Carrie was visibly uncomfortable, and even backed away in her chair from the judges' table. Luke joked, "Where you going, Carrie?," as she replied, "I have nothing to do with this," and put her hands up. Lionel then pleaded, "Carrie, we need you." Carrie responded, "Nope. No," and pushed her chair completely away from them. Luke and Lionel then decided to save Mattie instead of Josh, leaving Carrie to clap politely without a smile on her face.

This aspect of American Idol judging really seemed to upset Carrie, which is why she might not return for season 24. Her wishy-washy response about returning could've stemmed from her distaste of having to be a part of ending someone's dream. When looked at from that perspective, who could blame her for not wanting to come back to American Idol as a judge?

Carrie Might Be Better Suited For A Different American Idol Role

Carrie Would Thrive As The Artist In Residence

Carrie might be better suited for a job like Jelly Roll's Artist in Residence position, which would only require her to be a mentor and cheerleader for the contestants. Perhaps she and Jelly Roll could even switch places, with him becoming a judge, and her taking his place as the Artist in Residence because Carrie thrived most when she was able to give the contestants positive .

Carrie was an incredible mentor when she appeared on American Idol seasons 16 and 20 in the role, so she should return in that capacity for season 24. While she had some good moments as a judge, she mostly gushed about the contestants, which wasn't always helpful to them if they needed some improvement. As a mentor or Artist in Residence, Carrie could the contestants without having to judge them.

Carrie put her all into being an American Idol season 23 judge, but whether she'll return for season 24 is uncertain after her rocky experience. Known for being America's Sweetheart, Carrie seemed to not want to ruin her image by being cast as the villain of the show, so she ended up not giving much constructive criticism to the contestants. Therefore, she'd be better off in a mentor position for the show. Carrie's lukewarm response to returning for American Idol season 24 might mean that she won't be back as a judge, but it would be wonderful to see her give the job another try after learning from her first experience.

American Idol is available to stream on Hulu.

Source: E! News, Carrie Underwood/Instagram