Carrie Underwood's pals worry she may 'hurt herself' by getting too involved in 'American Idol' auditions
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Carrie Underwood is reportedly becoming anxious as she tries to adjust to her 'American Idol' judging gig, as her friends warns her to relax as they fear she could burn herself out, according to Radar Online.
Insiders informed the outlet that the 'Before He Cheats' knockout's problem is her drive for excellence and feeling the burden of holding the future of the show's contestants in her hands.
Carrie Underwood juggles personal life with emotional 'American Idol' auditions
The source told the outlet, "Carrie is a huge perfectionist. The standards she has for herself are extremely high, and she tends to pick apart everything she does."
"She finds her weak points and improves, but it also causes her a whole lot of stress. Now, she's carrying the added weight of holding these contestants' futures in her hands and knowing exactly what that feels like," they added.
The insider also stated that it "takes a big emotional toll" as she can genuinely feel their tension over the situation and their painful disappointment, per the outlet.
Notably, an episoide of the reality show showed Underwood overcome with emotion when a contestant related a tough backstory.
The contestant said, "My grandparents raised me from the moment I turned 2. She put everything she had in me all these years."
Underwood was then seen gushing tears and blowing her nose when the camera cut to her.
Co-judge Luke Bryan asked Underwood, "You okay over there" as she replied, "I'm not."
The source added that people around Underwood wonder if she has the inner strength to judge others on 'American Idol', per the outlet.
"Her friends can't help worrying because the level of expectations she sets for herself and the sheer workload would break a lot of people," the insider said.
The source also mentioned, "Carrie is known as a tough cookie, but she has her limits, the worry is that she'll push past them and hurt herself."
Carrie Underwood gets emotional during audition by contestant's story
Carrie Underwood became emotional as 'American Idol' contestant Samantha Ray paid tribute to her late sister during her audition on the Sunday, March 30 episode.
Notably, the contestant sang 'I Hope you Dance' by Lee Ann Womack and talked about losing her sister, Taylor, who died in February 2025 due to a drug overdose, according to CNN.
She said, "I was thinking about my sister a lot," when judge Luke Bryan asked her what she was thinking about while singing the song.
Ray added, "She had two little boys and knowing they don’t have their mom anymore is really heartbreaking. I’m here for her."
Meanwhile, Underwood was was seen choked up and asked co-judge Lionel Richie to speak first instead.
She said, "I’m teary-eyed. We didn’t know what you were thinking about but we knew you were thinking about something and that’s being a storyteller, that pulls people in. That was really special."
