CARRIE Underwood was ‘reserved’ and ‘distant’ – but remained ‘polite’ to the American Idol crew on set after her inauguration disaster, The U.S. can exclusively reveal.
The country star reported back to duty as a judge on American Idol and flew back to Los Angeles to film the new season just days after she suffered worldwide controversy for her inauguration performance .
Carrie , 41, sang America the Beautiful for Donald Trump as he was inaugurated as 47th President of the United States in January.
The performance heard around the world was only magnified when the music would not play for Carrie – resulting in her singing acapella in the crowded room.
Just a few days later, Carrie had to return to Idol where she met up with co-judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan to film Hollywood Week at the Orpheum Theatre in Downtown LA.
Although the attention from her Capitol Hill performance was still fresh, the Grammy-winner remained a professional on set, an insider told The U.S. Sun.
The source claimed: “Carrie has been polite but distant from the rest of the crew.
“Everyone knows Lionel and Luke better, they have been here longer and are closer with the crew.
“Carrie has been very kind to everyone on set but she does seem more reserved.”
The source then claimed that crew members on set have been told to “not bring up the inauguration under any circumstances” – including directly asking Carrie about it.
However, the insider maintained that the order did not come from Carrie herself and it was an attempt to keep the “tense” set as “lighthearted” as possible.
“It’s not just the inauguration. It’s Hollywood week which is a lot of moving parts. The production team has to go film in Hawaii next week, so that can be stressful.
“All these things take a toll so producers want to do everything they can to make sure every person on the team feels comfortable and supported,” they added.
MIC DROP
As fans saw in January, the Oklahoma native suffered a massive technical error that led to several moments of awkward silence on live TV in the middle of the inauguration – which was being telecast around the world.
Carrie was quickly walked onto the stage area by handlers when music from America The Beautiful was supposed to begin playing.
However, nothing came from the speakers – leading to awkward moments of silence and confusion as the whole room, Carrie included, looked around – seemingly not knowing what to do.
The former Idol winner ended up pushing through as she belted out the tune acapella and was praised by viewers for her professional “boss move.”
CARRIE’S COMEBACK
Carrie, Lionel, and Luke met up in January for filming at the Orpheum Theatre for Idol’s Showstoppers round.
The filming day marked the first time Carrie, who had remained quiet online , has been seen since performing at the inauguration .
It was also the first time Carrie, along with the season 23 contestants, filmed in front of a live audience.
According to an insider, the CMA winner was enthusiastically introduced by an announcer as she walked on stage.
She dazzled in a sequin pink blazer dress with matching shoes and her signature voluminous blonde hair as Lionel , 75, opened up his arms to welcome her to the judging panel.
Who are the past American Idol winners?
The previous American Idol winners include:
Kelly Clarkson (2002)
Ruben Studdard (2003)
Fantasia Barrino (2004)
Carrie Underwood (2005)
Taylor Hicks (2006)
Jordin Sparks (2007)
David Cook (2008)
Kris Allen (2009)
Lee DeWyze (2010)
Scotty McCreery (2011)
Phillip Phillips (2012)
Candice Glover (2013)
Caleb Johnson (2014)
Nick Fradiani (2015)
Trent Harmon (2016)
Maddie Poppe (2018)
Laine Hardy (2019)
Just Sam (2020)
Chayce Beckham (2021)
Noah Thompson (2022)
Iam Tongi (2023)
As she walked out, she was met with a roar of applause and cheers from the studio audience who continued to chant her name.
Despite the warm welcome, a source claimed that Carrie seemed “tense” and “serious” throughout the duration of the time she was judging.
“She barely acknowledged the audience who kept chanting her name. The fans kept yelling ‘we love Carrie’ but she wouldn’t even turn around and wave most of the time – though she did a few times.
“Also, Carrie rarely danced during the contestant’s performances besides nodding along and shuffling to some rock songs.
“She did loosen up a bit by the end so she could’ve been nervous, especially since it was her first time judging in front of a live audience.
“But Lionel and Luke both had a lot more energy than Carrie did,” the source alleged.
The season 23 premiere of American Idol airs on Sunday, March 9th at 8pm ET on ABC.
