AMERICAN Idol ratings have soared to over 5 million viewers despite fans demanding Carrie Underwood be fired from the series.
Carrie, 42, replaced Katy Perry as a judge on American Idol this season, as she joined Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan.
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But the American Idol winner has received backlash during her debut judging season from viewers with them demanding she be “replaced.”
But despite the criticism, The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal the show continues to bring in strong ratings.
During Disney week on American Idol, the top three contestants were chosen.
The Sunday, May 11 episode brought in a whopping 5,272,000 viewers, one of the highest of the season.
Read more on American Idol
The Monday, May 12 episode had 4,450,000 viewers tune in.
These are some of the strongest numbers of the season.
The highest-rated episode was on March 2, which was a special of the premiere, with 5,905,000 viewers.
CARRIE BACKLASH
Carrie came under fire during the Monday, May 12 episode for her critique of Jamal Roberts, who is in the Top 3.
Jamal, 27, performed Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s hit Ain’t No Mountain High Enough for Disney night.
Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie gave him a standing ovation when he completed the song, but Carrie remained in her seat.
She said, “I feel like you missed such an opportunity to move around and entertain.
“We are getting close to the end here, it is time to pull out all the stops.
“And we know you have that in you. So like pull us all in not just with your voice but everything else going on.
“Put 100 percent of yourself into it. Let’s go.”
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But fans didn’t agree, as her critique had them calling for her firing.
One fumed, “You were out of line about Jamal tonight. Everyone gets to stand still, but he has to move around!! Really?”
A second wrote, “You know your comment for Jamal was not fair. Breanna stands still the whole performance, John stands still. What was the difference. That’s why the next time he performed the crowd shut you down with cheers.
“Remember you once was in there spot.”
A third fired, “Thought your criticism of Jamal for not ‘moving around’ was unfair, especially when you swooned over John when he sat in a chair for an entire song.”
A fourth then demanded, “She needs to be replaced next year!”
Another said, “Your so unfair can’t stand your rudeness.”
“Carrie, please don’t return as a judge next year,” another fan commented.
Meet the American Idol team
American Idol airs on ABC on Sunday and Monday nights. Meet the host and three judges who are helping to discover America’s next biggest star.
Ryan Seacrest: Ryan is the host of American Idol. He has been the host of the singing competition since the show premiered on FOX in 2002. He was brought on when ABC took over the show in 2018. Outside of American Idol, Ryan hosts Wheel of Fortune and next season’s Celebrity Wheel of Fortune.
Lionel Richie: The singer was brought on as a judge when ABC revived the show in 2018. Outside of the show, Lionel performs at his Las Vegas Residency.
Luke Bryan: Luke also joined the judges panel in 2018, as he was joined by Lionel and Katy Perry, who left the show in 2024. Luke brings his country expertise to contestants, as he is known for his hit songs Drunk on You, Play it Again, Buy Dirt and more.
Carrie Underwood: Carrie joined the show in 2025 to replace Katy. The country singer perhaps has the most experience, as she won the singing competition show in 2005. She has went on have a successful career including top songs and Grammy wins.
UNDER FIRE
But fans aren’t the only ones upset with Carrie, as The U.S. Sun also revealed that the American Idol crew thinks Carrie’s “influence” is “ruining” the show’s legacy.
The singing competition tested out its first-ever faith-based episode on Easter Sunday.
Carrie “pushed for” the episode despite some staffers not agreeing with the theme.
Although the three-hour special was popular among some, members of the crew felt it was “inappropriate.”
The U.S. Sun also reported Carrie wasn’t the show’s first choice to replace Katy Perry.
A source told The U.S. Sun, “They spoke with a handful of other A-list artists in pop and country before landing on Carrie.
“It was not a unanimous decision,” the insider added.
The top 3 of American Idol season 23 are Breanna Nix, Jamal and Slater Nalley.
The finale will kick off on Sunday.
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Content shared from www.the-sun.com.