Photo: ABC
The audience boos Carrie Underwood “A LOT” in upcoming episodes of American Idol.
Underwood, the 2005 Idol champion and returning judge, shared in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday (February 16): “Spoiler alert…I get booed A LOT from our Hollywood Week audience.”
This year, the show’s iconic Hollywood Week will take place for the first time in Nashville, Tennessee. American Idol hopefuls will only have one round to take the stage with “make-or-break performances” during Hollywood Week: Music City Takeover. That means this year’s Hollywood Week will be “the biggest Hollywood Week cut in Idol history,” according to ABC.
Underwood said in a separate post that her “second season of judging auditions on [American Idol] has been just as special as my first. Thank YOU for watching and supporting!!” Underwood made her debut as a judge last year, marking 20 years since her career-launching victory o the show’s fourth season. She returned as a judge alongside Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, and reunites with longtime host Ryan Seacrest. Brad Paisley and Keke Palmer will serve as guest mentors.
American Idol airs on ABC on Monday nights from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET/PT. It’s available to stream the next day on Hulu.
Bryan joined the star-studded lineup of the 2026 iHeartCountry Festival as of Tuesday morning (February 3). The show also includes Kane Brown, Parker McCollum, Riley Green, Shaboozey, Dylan Scott, Russell Dickerson, Gretchen Wilson, Chase Matthew and Lauren Alaina. iHeartRadio's Bobby Bones is returning as the event’s host. The show will take place on May 2 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Tickets to the show are available as of January 23. Fans across the country will be able to catch all the action as the 2026 iHeartCountry Festival will be broadcast live across iHeartCountry stations nationwide and the free iHeartRadio app on Saturday, May 2nd at 8pm ET/5pm PT (7pm CT).