American Idol fans couldn’t handle their emotions after a viral video teased the legendary return of Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood—not as a contestant, but as a judge.
Nearly two decades after her life-changing victory, the country queen is set to grace the panel alongside Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, marking a full-circle moment that fans can’t stop buzzing about.
Carrie will reportedly rake in a cool $12 million for her judging debut, a modest sum compared to Katy Perry’s $25 million paycheck before she bowed out last year after a seven-season run.
In a heartstring-tugging promo, ABC unveiled a clip showcasing Carrie’s journey—from her fresh-faced audition to winning it all and, now, claiming her spot as a judge.
Social media exploded with fans’ enthusiasm, with one user declaring, ‘Aww, this gives me chills and made me want to cry. This is so awesome! I always voted for Carrie, and now look at her!’
Another proudly proclaimed, ‘That’s our girl!’
American Idol fans couldn’t handle their emotions after a viral video teased the legendary return of Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood —not as a contestant, but as a judge
Nearly two decades after her life-changing victory, the country queen is set to grace the panel alongside Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan , marking a full-circle moment that fans can’t stop buzzing about
‘i’m not crying you’re crying,’ posted one, as another agreed, writing ‘Why did this make me so emotional.’
Another shared, ‘I have been a Carrie fan since day 1 !! Welcome home Carrie!’
Host Ryan Seacrest, who famously announced Carrie Underwood as the winner of American Idol back in Season 4, 2005, couldn’t hide his excitement over her return.
Sharing throwback photos from that iconic moment, he wrote, ‘It’s a full-circle moment to go from announcing you as the winner of @americanidol 20 years ago to now welcoming you to the judge’s table. Welcome home, @carrieunderwood!’
In August, Carrie opened up about how she thinks she’ll handle the pressures of being a judge on American Idol.
With experience spanning multiple genres, she explained, ‘I like to think that I am versatile, and hopefully when I listen to people come in and audition, I can have any lens I need to put on as far as what kind of music I’m thinking.’
The Before He Cheats hitmaker also shared her approach to feedback, saying, ‘I think I can be honest and constructive but still kind, and I think that’s the whole point.’
Reflecting on the weight of the moment for contestants, Carrie noted, ‘People are coming in and, you know, it’s dreams, and you’re part of somebody’s story from that moment on.’
Social media exploded with fans’ enthusiasm, with one user declaring, ‘Aww, this gives me chills and made me want to cry. This is so awesome! I always voted for Carrie, and now look at her!’
She added, ‘So I think it’s important to be honest but I think it’s also very important to be kind, so hopefully I can marry all of those together and be a good judge.’
Carrie steps into the judging role following Perry, who joined American Idol in 2017, reportedly commanding an eye-popping $25 million per season, compared to the $10 million a season Richie received.
Bryan earned a higher paycheck than Richie at $12 million, according to Forbes.
Host Seacrest brings home $12 million a season as well.
The pay gap between Carrie and Katy boils down to time and priorities, according to a Life & Style source.
They revealed, ‘ABC was asking for a lot of [Perry’s] time away from making music and performing, more time than she had ever given something other than her own pop career.’
As for Carrie, the insider shared, ‘She’s been part of the Idol family since its early days, and she has a vested interest in the franchise continuing.’
Carrie’s grounded attitude also earned praise, with the source adding, ‘Another one of Carrie’s strengths is her humility, and Carrie did not need to be offered a Katy-sized salary to come back into the franchise.’
