Skip to main content

Country superstar Carrie Underwood is officially back on the American Idol judging panel for season 24. Returning alongside her fellow judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, Underwood continues her full-circle journey from Idol Season 4 winner in 2005 to mentor and critic two decades later. Known for her balanced feedback, she’s defended her role by saying she aims not just to praise, but to help contestants grow with constructive criticism. And a new clip shows her explaining to a contestant how everyone can collectively stop a viral meme. Here’s her suggestion.

A clip from the new season of ‘American Idol’ shows Carrie Underwood’s answer to stopping a viral meme

Carrie Underwood is back in action as a judge for American Idol Season 24. The country star made her judging debut on American Idol Season 23, which premiered in March 2025 on ABC. Twenty years after winning the competition in Season 4 (2005), she joined the panel alongside Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, replacing Katy Perry. Upon accepting the role, she expressed that it felt like going “home,” even though she admitted feeling nervous.

Now, with one season under her belt, Underwood is back and ready for action. And a clip posted by the official American Idol Instagram page shows her speaking to a contestant named Uzziah about how to possibly combat a popular meme. The contestant explained to the judges that he hears “6-7” all day long, indicating that he works with kids.

“Here’s how we stop that, Uzziah. I have the cure. Every time the kids say ‘6-7,’ we have to immediately say, ‘5-3-0-9,'” Underwood explained, singing the last four digits to the tune of the Tommy Tutone song that was released in 1981. “And if we all band together and do that, it will stop! It’s gonna take all of us.”

Carrie Underwood defended her judging style ahead of the new season

Related

‘American Idol’ Fans Think Carrie Underwood Has Serious Beef With Lionel Richie: ‘You Can’t Unsee It’

Carrie Underwood is certainly a different judge than Katy Perry. While some fans love watching the American Idol winner back on the show as a judge, others remain critical of her judging style. Despite the criticism, Underwood defended herself while speaking on Sirius XM’s The Highway in September 2025.

“Sometimes I get in trouble from people like, ‘How dare she say that it wasn’t perfect?'” the country singer explained. “And I’m like, I just want everybody to learn, and that’s part of it. And nobody wants to just hear that they’re amazing all the time.”

“We just want everybody to be able to grow, and get better, and be the most awesome version of themselves that they could be,” Underwood continued.

Fans watching ‘American Idol’ Season 24 might see some serious changes

Fans can’t wait to see Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan revive their roles as judges for American Idol Season 24. And sources claim that the show is slated to have a few changes.

“The big one is Hollywood Week is going to look a lot less Hollywood,” an insider explained to The U.S. Sun. “The Hollywood Week tapings will be at Belmont University. Production will film at the school’s Fisher Center in early November. They’re going to be calling it ‘Hollywood Week in Music City.’”

Belmont University is a private Christian college in the Nashville region. Hollywood Week typically takes place in Los Angeles.

“The show also filmed auditions at Belmont back in September and is returning after landing an overall filming partnership with the university,” the source claimed. “Special virtual auditions for Belmont students were set up for September as part of the partnership.”

Best in News