Amid the dazzling stage lights of ‘American Idol’ and thunderous applause from the audience, Carrie Underwood — the queen of country music — never imagined that her heart would be shaken by the tender complaints of her very own “little princes.” It wasn’t the judges or the fans who felt slighted — but her two young sons at home, heartbroken over something their mother did on national television. And the reason? So sweet, it could melt even the coldest heart…

In 2025, as Carrie Underwood returned to “American Idol” as a judge on the show she won 20 years earlier, producers pulled out all the stops to reminisce about her original season, from airing throwback footage to putting Underwood behind the wheel of the Mustang she won in 2005.

Underwood is now not only one of the biggest country stars in the world, but also a mom to two boys — 10-year-old Isaiah and six-year-old Jacob — she shares with husband Mike Fisher.

Underwood told “Entertainment Tonight” in April that her boys had never watched the season of “American Idol” she competed on. But in 2025, they were very invested in watching the first season she judged, she told attendees at the official Carrie Underwood Fan Club Party held at the Grand Ole Opry in early June 2025. And that, she admitted, led to a bit of friction at home when some of their favorites were sent home.

Carrie Underwood’s Kids Voted for Their Favorite ‘American Idol’ Contestants

In a Q&A hosted by Cody Alan at Underwood’s annual fan club party, currently airing on SiriusXM’s Carrie’s Country channel, Underwood said her sons were so into watching season 23 of “American Idol,” they were among the millions who cast votes — and they didn’t quite understand that she couldn’t always save contestants once viewers started voting.

Underwood recalled, “My kids were, like, voting, and I’d come home and they’d be like, ‘Oh my gosh, they went home, we need to talk!’ (I’d say) ‘I don’t have anything to do with it! But I’m trying to tell (the singers) things that can help them stay!’ So, yeah, it was just, it was a whole dynamic.”

Even Underwood admitted she found herself getting upset week after week as different people were sent home, given that there was “so much talent” among the contestants.

“Every single week that anybody went home, it’s like, I was upset,” she told Alan. “Then I’m like, ‘Well, who else would it be?’ I think I would be the same level of upset at everybody (going home).”

Before Underwood started her role as a judge with auditions in New York, she told E! News in October that her kids didn’t understand what her new role meant.

“My son this morning — he thinks I’m singing somewhere,” Underwood said. “So, he’s like, ‘God, please give her all the right words and help her sing great.’ And Mike was like, ‘She’s not singing.’ And then he was like, ‘OK, give her wisdom.’ He has no clue, which I kind of love. They don’t really know what I do. They do, but they don’t, which I love. I’m mom to them, but I think they’re going to understand when they start seeing episodes.”

Carrie Underwood Says She Juggles Work & Home Life Like Anyone Else

Juggling life as a country superstar, “American Idol” judge, and engaged mom is a “balancing act,” Underwood told the crowd gathered at the Grand Ole Opry.

“When you have a career and you are trying to mix that with having a family, it’s like, you figure it out,” she said matter-of-factly. “And that’s that’s the same for all of us with kids and jobs in life.”

“It definitely makes you prioritize what’s really important,” she continued. “Like, I’ve said no to a lot of things that it’s like I kind of wanted to do. But, you know, it’s like, ‘Isaiah has a basketball game,’ so I’m like, ‘I want to go this basketball game.’ So it forces you to prioritize.”

Sitting on the Grand Ole Opry stage with Alan, Underwood said she feels like parenthood “makes you a better person. You kind of cut out some of the things that aren’t necessary.”

The “Jesus Take The Wheel” singer said being a mom also makes her connect with her own music even more than she used to, noting, “Musically, you know, it’s a lot. You can be more emotional. You can go in to write (songs), and you can, you know, talk about your kids, talk about your life, talk about your friends, and kind of insert more of yourself into those kinds of songs and relate more to those kinds of songs when that’s the life you’re living.”