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Carrie Underwood Knows Judging ‘American Idol’ Will Be ‘Challenging’ but It’s ‘a Job of a Lifetime’
Carrie Underwood will replace Katy Perry on American Idol but she’s under a lot of pressure ahead of her arrival.
“This is a huge step up for Carrie as far as putting herself out there to middle America,” an insider exclusively tells Life & Style of the season 4 Idol winner, 41, who will return for the show’s 23rd season.
News of her upcoming gig was announced August 1 on Good Morning America, with the morning show previewing a video shared on social media that showed a young Carrie auditioning for the singing competition.
“I remember being at home in our little house in Checotah and seeing on TV that there were auditions in St. Louis. My mom said, ‘If you want to go, I’ll drive you,'” Carrie said in the clip. “I went from nobody knowing my name to tens of millions of people watching the show. I’m proud of everything that I was able to accomplish on the show, and I’m so proud of everything that I’ve accomplished since.”
Millions of eyes will be back on Carrie when she joins the judging table alongside Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie. Her casting comes after Katy, 39, revealed in February that season 22 — which wrapped in May — would be her last so that she could focus on new music and a tour.
According to the Life & Style source, the “Before He Cheats” songstress is “being paid handsomely and is under no illusions that it’ll be a very challenging role, particularly after all the abuse and scrutiny Katy got when she was on board.”
However, the insider adds, there’s “no doubt” fellow Idol winner Kelly Clarkson‘s success on The Voice is also working in Carrie’s favor.
“The bosses are relieved to have a glamorous country star of Carrie’s caliber on board, plus she has the history with the show,” the source says. “The big question here is whether she’s got the temperament to handle this pressure as the bosses are banking on her to hit the ground running and deliver big ratings, plus how she reacts to the inevitable online trolling.”
While it’s an exciting new opportunity for Carrie, the source warns it may put additional stress on her marriage to Mike Fisher, whom she wed on July 10, 2010.
“It’ll also mean yet more time away from Mike, which isn’t good either, but Carrie was never going to say no to this,” says the source. “It’s a job of a lifetime and the opportunity for her to prove herself.”
In the years since her win, Carrie has won eight Grammys and 17 American Music Awards, among many other accolades.
During her Good Morning America appearance, when asked what kind of judge she will be on the singing competition, Carrie replied, “I do have a big problem — hopefully it’s not a problem — I can’t lie. I just can’t. You can tell.”
The show also celebrated the announcement that Carrie would be returning, captioning their Instagram post, “From #AmericanIdol hopeful, to global icon…to IDOL judge!” In the comments, Katy wrote, “It could only be Carrie! She will be amazing. Miss you guys.” Host Ryan Seacrest added, “She’s going to be fantastic. Welcome home!”
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