Carrie Underwood’s Return to ‘American Idol’ as a Judge Marks a Twenty-Year Journey: Watch

Two decades ago, Carrie Underwood auditioned for American Idol, during the reality music competition’s fourth season in 2005. Now a multi-award winning, multi-faceted singer, songwriter, entertainer, author and actress, Underwood will return to where it all began next year, as a judge on American Idol, where she will replace former Idol judge Katy Perry.

On March 9, she will join Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie at the judges’ table, when the American Idol season premiere launches on ABC and streams on Hulu.

A new video previewing the upcoming season shows the moment Underwood stepped into the audition room as a judge for the first time, juxtaposing the moment with footage of Underwood’s American Idol audition in 2005. When Underwood auditioned on American Idol, she performed the Bonnie Raitt classic “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” and auditioned for then-judges Paul Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson.

“Twenty years ago I was standing on a stage just like this one,” Underwood can be seen saying in the video.

“And now you’re sitting here with us,” Richie replies.

“That’s the power of American Idol,” Bryan adds.

Host Ryan Seacrest then asks, “So, should we save some lives together?”

“Let’s do this,” Underwood replies with a smile.

Since her own win on American Idol, Underwood has earned 16 No. 1 Billboard Country Airplay hits, as well as eight Grammy trophies and 16 ACM Awards. She’s spearheaded her own Reflection: The Las Vegas residency (which continues through April 2025), released the book Find Your Path, launched the fitness app Fit52, and starred in the show open for NBC’s Sunday Night Football for 12 consecutive seasons. She also launched the SiriusXM channel Carrie’s Country, followed by Carr-dio by Carrie’s Country, and Savior Sunday Daily by Carrie’s Country, both of which stream on the SiriusXM app. Underwood recently made a guest appearance on comedian Nate Bargatze’s holiday special, which aired on CBS.