American Idol is heading into its 25th season later this year, but former contestant and Idol winner Carrie Underwood’s recent performance at President Donald Trump’s second inauguration has turned into the “worst-case scenario” for the show. New sources claim that a “stressful” mood has befallen the Idol set in the lead-up to Season 25, with those working behind-the-scenes worried that the “Before He Cheats” musician’s a capella rendition of “America the Beautiful” during the inauguration unnecessarily pushed the show “into the political conversation.”
“The show just wants to stay away from anything political so this turning into such a big, worldwide topic of conversation is not what [the producers] wanted heading into the start of the season,” a source told The U.S. Sun. “The situation has become too big and out of anyone’s control now which is a stressful position to be in while trying to promote a family-friendly, politically neutral show.”
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Underwood, who rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of American Idol in 2005, has been swept up in controversy ever since a Presidential Inaugural Committee spokesperson confirmed on Jan. 13 that the singer was among the list of performers for Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20. The singe immediately faced pushback over her decision, with the comments sections on her most recent Instagram posts largely negative remarks.
The Grammy-winning artist eventually addressed her decision, telling PEOPLE in a statement, “I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the Inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event.” Underwood added that she was “humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future.”
However, The Sun’s sources said that Underwood’s decision seemingly pushed American Idol into territory it otherwise tries to steer clear of, stating the team is concerned “in terms of the amount of attention it’s gotten and Idol being brought into the political conversation.”
The source did state, though, that while those working on Idol “wish the show wasn’t involved, they are proud of how Carrie handled herself in what I’m sure was a stressful moment… this is basically worst-case scenario.” Recruited to sing “America the Beautiful” at Monday’s ceremony, Underwood was forced to perform an a capella rendition inside the Capitol rotunda due to technical issues.
Underwood hasn’t addressed her performance in the days since. However, reports have claimed that the singer was “furious” over the issues, as she feels she “wasn’t awarded the same level of respect” as past performers.
