American Idol’s Carrie Underwood Sings at Trump Inaugural amid controversy and technical difficulties
American Idol season 4 winner and newly appointed judge, Carrie Underwood, performed America the Beautiful for the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump on Monday (Jan 20). But things didn’t go as planned.
Carrie Underwood Goes MAGA: Set to Perform at Trump Inauguration
The gig was fraught from the beginning, as a segment of her fan base were angry that she agreed to sing for the controversial soon to be 47th president, considering his lying and hate mongering on the campaign trail, in addition to inciting a riot of his rabid followers on January 6, 2021, the day Joe Biden’s win was certified by Congress.
Agreeing to sing for Donald Trump’s inaugural set off a fan backlash
Here’s an example of a tweet from a disappointed fan from the X platform. It says “Kelly Clarkson knowing that she just cemented her legacy as the greatest American Idol winner after this Carrie Underwood news dropped.” Fun fact: The OG American Idol winner performed a stirring My Country ‘Tis of Thee for Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2013.
Despite technical difficulties, Carrie Underwood pulled off “America the Beautiful” and saved the day
Because of cold weather (or maybe fear of tiny crowds) Trump moved the ceremony indoors at the last minute, announcing the news at the end of last week. A scramble ensued to move everything indoors. And of course, under chaotic circumstances, technical difficulties ensued.
Carrie was set to sing “America the Beautiful” backed by an orchestral track. But the audio didn’t start initially. After a minute, it did start but then abruptly stopped. However, Carrie kept her poise and saved the day. In this clip, Carrie can be seen mouthing “I can just sing it.” And indeed she did. Her a cappella version of the song was flawless. She could have stood around waiting for the team to fix the technical problems. But instead, she took the situation in her own hands and made it way less awkward than it could have been. The Trump team owes her a huge thanks.
She probably had more verses planned. Usually singers at these types of public ceremonies perform at least two verses. Plus, the stage was crowded. She stood in front of President Biden and Vice-president Kamala Harris. It looked pretty “cozy” up there. Afterward, Carrie briefly greeted Biden and then Trump, who pulled her in for an air kiss. Afterward, she left the room before the rest of the ceremony finished. Watch the performance below.
Sources say afterward, Carrie Underwood thew a “hissy fit” and felt disrespected by Team Trump
It’s not hard to imagine that the experience fell short of Carrie’s expectations. The country singer insisted that her decision to sing at Trump’s inaugural was NOT political. “I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future,” she said in a statement.
But according to Daily Mail sources (which hmm…these British rags and their sources are often questionable), Carrie threw a “hissy fit” after she left the room. According to the Mail,”Carrie was dissatisfied with her performance at the event, primarily due to the limited space she was given, which left her feeling cramped and uncomfortable.”
The source added: ‘Her anxiety was high throughout the performance, and she felt that she was not afforded the same level of respect or admiration that previous performers, such as Beyoncé and Lady Gaga, had received.”
What’s more, “She felt as if she was ushered in and out and had a mini hissy fit afterwards.” Lady Gaga and Beyonce performed the National Anthem for Joe Biden in 2021 and Barack Obama in 2013, respectively.
According to sources Carrie Underwood “bragged” that Trump called her “personally” to ask her to perform
In a follow-up from Daily Mail, sources claim that Carrie “bragged” that Trump called her “personally” to ask her to perform.
‘She hired an army of security, was requesting a handmade designer dress for the performance, and demanded she be allowed a team of 20.
‘She of course demanded tickets for her family and friends on top of that as well.’
Carrie took Katy Perry’s place on the American Idol judges panel for 2023, the 20th anniversary of her iconic win. Hollywood Week is scheduled for the end of January at the Orpheum in Hollywood, amid wildfires which firefighters continue to battle.
American Idol producers felt “blindsided” by Trump gig
According to another British tabloid, The Sun, American Idol producers were blindsided by Carrie’s Trump gig and are not happy. Sources say host Ryan Seacrest and fellow judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie were “taken aback by the news” and feared being sucked into a a political conversation they “did not want to be a part of.”
“It doesn’t conflict with any of her Idol taping dates and it is before this season airs, so it doesn’t go against anything in her contract. But there are producers that don’t approve and are worried,” a source told The U.S. Sun.
The insider explained that part of this fear stems from fans loudly threatening to boycott the show altogether.
“A lot of viewers are already speaking of a boycott, whether or not that’s true or just noise will be seen after the ratings come in but the conversation it now brings Idol into is not what producers want.
“They don’t want the show to get political, they want it to be an escape from that.”
American Idol season 23 (eight on ABC) premieres on Sunday March 9 after a post-Oscar’s special the week before on Sunday, March 2.
