Carrie Underwood returned for her second season as a judge on “American Idol” decades after being a contestant.
The “Jesus Take The Wheel” singer stole hearts when she won on “American Idol” in 2005 as a young, excited 21-year-old with a powerful, country pop voice.
But after a rough year and criticism of her lack of support for last year’s winner, fans want her out of the judging seat.
Underwood has drawn complaints for being too harsh or critical of contestants, though she views it as constructive criticism.
Even the audience members go so far as to boo Underwood when she finds fault in someone’s performance. Now, calls for another “American Idol” alum to take her spot are growing.
On the Monday, April 20 episode, “American Idol” welcomed season 3 contestant Jennifer Hudson as a guest judge for Disney night with the top nine contestants. Each contestant sang songs from classic Disney films.
Underwood dressed as Belle from “Beauty and the Beast.” But fans were mainly drawn to Hudson, suggesting she would be a better replacement.
One person on X wrote, “Jennifer Hudson would’ve been a better judge than Carrie Underwood is #AmericanIdol.”
Someone else echoed the same sentiments, writing, “How about Jennifer stay, and Carrie goes!” A third typed, “Please I can’t watch with Carrie underwood, she’s not even good or entertaining as a judge.”
Commentators piled on under Underwood’s Facebook post of her and Hudson at the judges table. One fan said, “Jennifer should be the judge not airhead wood.”
The switch would please fans who have grown tired of Underwood, especially after her critiques of season 23 winner Jamal Roberts. Fans accused her of being overly harsh and inconsistent.
Some viewers pointed to moments where she criticized Roberts’ stage presence while other judges praised him.
But Underwood seems to have tough skin when it comes to the backlash from fans.
On the “American Idol” podcast she told host Danielle Fishel that she “doesn’t care” about being booed, only being honest.
“I can’t lie, I’m a terrible liar,” Underwood said. “As a fan of the show, if there was ever somebody that kind of had an off night and everybody’s like, ‘Oh my God that’s so great.’ I’m sitting at home being like, ‘What? Liars!’
She continued, “You want them to pay attention to those things going forward. They’re obviously talented or they wouldn’t be here right now.”
Hudson recently reminisced about her return to “Idol” with ABC as it was her firsrt time returning since competing on the show.
She told the outlet, “I got to call myself a judge today. I don’t take anything lightly and I celebrate everything. It’s a celebration to be able to come back in my circle of life and be in the judging panel.”
She added, “As soon as I walked in and I saw the ‘American Idol’ sign, I felt like a contestant all over again. That feeling never leaves you. So my heart always goes out to the finalists.”
Though Hudson finished in seventh place on the show, her career has still blossomed since. Two years after the show, she was cast in “Dreamgirls” alongside stars like Eddie Murphy, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, and Jamie Foxx. She later won her first Oscar for the role.
Hudson also released four studio albums, earning a Grammy award for her self-titled album. In 2022, she became the 17th person to achieve EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony) status.
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