Carrie Underwood’s journey back to American Idol may not have been a direct one. A production insider at the show told The U.S. Sun that the former Idol winner was “not the network’s first pick to be a judge this season.”
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“They spoke with a handful of other A-list artists in pop and country before landing on Carrie,” the insider told the outlet.
It’s well known that ABC execs spoke to many stars while trying to fill Katy Perry’s seat at the judges’ table. Returning judge Luke Bryan even told Billboard that Pink, Miley Cyrus, and Meghan Trainor were all in talks for the role.
When they ultimately landed on the Underwood, “it was not an unanimous decision,” the insider further claimed.
Will Carrie Underwood Return to American Idol?
Whether or not Underwood was the unanimous decision to replace Perry, you can’t deny the country star has brought some juice to season 23. From her emotional interactions with contestants to tapping into nostalgia with the viewers, Underwood has been a welcome addition to the show. And while many fans are hopeful Underwood will return to Idol next season, the insider claimed that it’s too early to know.
“They’ll have more of an idea in the next month or so. Nothing is off the table,” the person said. “At the beginning of filming, everyone thought [Carrie] would be back next year. Now, it’s much more up in the air. Her Idol future is much more uncertain now than it was and I think that feeling is mutual.”
Whether or not Underwood returns, Perry reportedly doesn’t want the job again.
“Katy wishes the show and everyone there well, she still views it as a positive overall,” a source previously told the outlet. “She just graduated from that chapter and has no interest in going back.”
As for why she wouldn’t return, the source said that the grueling filming schedule played a large part. Now, in contrast, Perry “feels more like herself,” the source claimed.
Photo by Eric McCandless/Disney via Getty Images
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