Would you be for or against the former champ coming back?

(Image credit: Disney/Gizelle Hernandez)

American Idol Season 23 was huge for the singing competition when it aired on the 2025 TV schedule, because for the first time since it premiered in 2002, its judging panel featured one of the stars it helped to create. Carrie Underwood replaced Katy Perry alongside Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, but after just one season, there’s already speculation that she may already be on her way out. The reason, however, might not be what fans think.

Carrie Underwood’s return to American Idol after winning Season 4 in 2005 was met with mixed reviews, with some fans calling her “bland” (isn’t everyone “bland” in comparison to Katy Perry, though?) and saying she had a tough time making big cuts. While no official decision for the competition’s 24th season has yet been announced, if Underwood is one-and-done, a source for Life&Style alleges it won’t be because she wasn’t a good judge. The insider reports:

She’s on the road a lot. She’s missing her kids and Mike, which is very tough. They FaceTime day and night and she flies home every spare moment she gets, but it’s not the same as just being there.

The source suggests that being away from husband of 15 years Mike Fisher and their children, 10-year-old Isaiah and 6-year-old Jacob, was a struggle when American Idol was taping. The insider suggests Carrie Underwood is “nowhere near throwing in the towel,” but if this issue affected her so badly in just her first season, how realistically sustainable could this job be for her? They continued:

At the end of the shoot day, she’s always totally drained from the highs and lows and just goes back to her hotel room to crash. Those nights can be very hard because she just wants to be in Mike’s arms or reading bedtime stories to her kids and instead all she can do is see them through a phone screen.

While many fans loved seeing the “Before He Cheats” artist come full circle on her Idol journey, there were some rumblings of tension. Carrie Underwood drew backlash over her perceived treatment of eventual winner Jamal Roberts. The seemingly tense relationship started in the auditions, with the country music singer calling out Roberts’ lack of stage presence, and that attitude seemed to carry throughout the season into the finale.

There have also been reports that the Season 4 champion took issue with earning just half of the reported $25 million that Katy Perry was making in the position. And while Ryan Seacrest was reportedly taking steps to ensure she would return for multiple seasons, the host allegedly drew Carrie Underwood’s ire when he failed to introduce her during American Idol’s first live show of Season 23.

It would be wild if the American Idol judge exited the show after just one season, forcing producers back into hiring mode, but if the source above is correct, it sounds like the distance from her family may be the biggest issue to overcome. Stay tuned for any news regarding what will go down in Season 24.