Carrie Underwood is gearing up to return to American Idol for her second season as a judge. The Idol Season 4 winner joined the show in 2025, replacing former judge Katy Perry. A number of fans have praised Underwood’s addition to the panel.

Fans Praise Carrie Underwood as American Idol Judge

As Season 23 of American Idol was airing, a fan on the show’s subreddit started a thread praising Underwood’s performance as a judge. They compared her to former judge Katy Perry, saying Underwood “has made it more about the contestants.”

A number of viewers chimed in to agree that Underwood was impressing them in her new role as judge. Commenters cited her knowledge of various music genres (not just country) as one of the reasons to praise her.

Some fans couldn’t help but compare her to Perry, with one person writing, “Katy made the show a joke and all about getting the attention on her. It was like watching a 30 something year old child yelling ‘Look at me! Watch me do X!’”

Another commenter wrote, “Carrie gives her full attention to the contestants while Katy was thinking about how to make it about herself.”

Someone else remarked that Underwood also seemed to be letting her fellow judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie shine more, writing, “Katy was kinda front and center and now it feels like the judges are more evenly spread out.”

Not Everyone Was Impressed by Underwood

Although Underwood received plenty of positive feedback for her first season as a judge on American Idol, the praise wasn’t unanimous. In another Reddit thread, a fan posed the question of whether viewers wanted Underwood to return to the show.

Fans gave several reasons they disliked the country star’s addition to the panel. One user wrote that “this past season had way too much of a Christian undertone for me.” Someone else speculated, “My wife is convinced that it was part of the contract to get her back. They had to lean into the conservative Christian angle.”

Other commenters complained that Underwood seemed uncomfortable and was “unable to actually make a decision” about which contestants should move on in the competition. Another user suggested that she was biased toward certain contestants over others.

What do you think about Carrie Underwood’s judging on American Idol? Are you excited that she’s returning for Season 24? Let us know on X, and watch the new season starting January 26 on ABC.