NEWSSimon Cowell Gushes Over 'Sweet' Carrie Underwood Being a 'Good Choice' as New 'American Idol' Judge

Simon Cowell reacted to Carrie Underwood becoming an 'American Idol' judge.
Sept. 5 2024, Published 7:00 a.m. ET
Simon Cowell reacted to Carrie Underwood joining American Idol as the newest judge after replacing Katy Perry.
"I think it's a good choice," Cowell told E! News in an interview. "Carrie, we go back a long way. I remember her audition like it was yesterday. She was so good, she's such a sweet person."

Simon Cowell approves of Carrie Underwood joining 'American Idol.'
As OK! previously reported, it was revealed the blonde babe, 41, would be going back to the show that put her on the map.
"šCARRIEš From #AmericanIdol hopeful, to global iconā¦to IDOL judge! Home-grown superstar @carrieunderwood will join us for Season 8! ⨠#CUonIDOL," American Idol's Instagram page captioned a montage of Underwood winning back in the day.

Carrie Underwood won 'American Idol' in 2005.
The country star, who won American Idol in 2005, revealed how she'll interact with contestants when she sits alongside fellow judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Ritchie next year.

Carrie Underwood said she has a problem and 'can't lie.'
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āI have a problem,ā the singer replied on Friday, August 2, during ABCās GMA Summer Concert Series. āI canāt lie. I feel like Iāll be very honest but hopefully Iāll also be very constructive and encouraging.ā
GMA's Sam Champion suggested she won't be too hard on the contestants, to which she replied: āOh gosh no. Just ask my kids.ā
After the "Teenage Dream" songstress, 39, said she wanted to focus on her own music instead of being part of the show, several names were tossed around, but Underwood was a top contender for the job.
"Well, it is 20 years since she auditioned in St. Louis for American Idol, and to have the first ever Idol alum on the panel has always been something thatās been interesting to me," Idol showrunner and executive producer Megan Wolflick shared with Entertainment Tonight. "She is our queen, she is our icon of American Idol."
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Simon Cowell used to be a judge on the series.
"We have been searching, you know, and obviously talking to Carrie for a little bit here," she explained. "It has been a little over two months since the [Season 22] finale, but these talks have been going on for a while and we've been really excited to make it all happen."


