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Carrie Underwood returned to American Idol as a judge for its most recent season and celebrated the 20th anniversary of her winning the singing competition show. However, her comeback has been less than triumphant.
According to the Atlanta Black Star, the country singer has been embroiled in several controversies while appearing on the show, and now, Underwood is under fire again. This time for naming a farm animal after Idol winner Jamal Roberts, who fans say she had an apparent disdain for throughout the season.
Underwood names her baby lamb ‘Jamal’
As Blavity’s Shadow and Act reported, Underwood appeared not to be a big fan of Roberts, the first Black man to win Idol in over 20 years, from the very beginning of the competition. Fans remembered Underwood’s criticism of Roberts’ performance of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” after which she said that the singer missed an opportunity to “move around and entertain” the crowd.
Underwood’s seemingly lackluster response to Roberts winning the competition has also garnered attention. Viral clips of Roberts’ final performance show Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan jumping to their feet to cheer on the victor, while Underwood was slow to offer Roberts a standing ovation. Fans were quick to call out her hesitancy after a TikTok compilation of Underwood appearing to ignore Roberts went viral.
While fans condemned Underwood, she took to social media to congratulate Roberts on his win, leaving them unimpressed with her gesture.
“Congratulations to the newest winner of @AmericanIdol!!! I’m so proud of Jamal Roberts and all he has accomplished this season and I can’t wait to see what mountains he climbs next! He’s going to do great things! ,” she wrote in a post shared on multiple platforms.
After the congratulatory post, Underwood shared another of a baby lamb born on her Tennessee farm. She decided to name the young animal “Jamal” to pay homage to Roberts.
She explained in the caption, “Surprise! We’ve got another new life around the farm! This little guy happened to be born on the day of the@americanidol finale, so we figured it would only be right if we named him Jamal!!! Mama and Baby J are doing welland I’m popping by the barn to get snuggles every chance I get! Welcome to the world, little dude!”
Like the first post congratulating Roberts, fans were unhappy with her naming a farm animal after the Idol winner.
One Instagram user commented, “ ain’t no way yall think this is ok.”
Another added, “You should be ashamed of yourself! This is so not cool, but you know this already, don’t you?”
One user called the gesture “Tone deaf af” and a “Damn shame.”
Underwood’s political views have also gotten her in hot water with ‘Idol’ fans
Besides her seemingly icy feelings toward Roberts, Underwood has also been under scrutiny from Idol fans for her political views. Fans planned organized boycotts of Idol after the country singer performed at President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January.
In April, a clip of Underwood at the 2014 Country Music Association Awards resurfaced. In it, she and Brad Paisley performed a skit mocking former President Barack Obama’s healthcare policies. Afterward, Paisley joked about “Postpartum Taylor Swift Disorder,” and Underwood quipped, “I’m pretty sure that’s why the Democrats lost the Senate.”
It’s not just Idol fans who have an issue with the singer. Atlanta Black Star reported that the show’s crew members were irritated by Underwood’s supposed cold demeanor and influence on the show. Regarding the latter, sources noted an Easter episode of Idol that included faith-based performances, which some behind-the-scenes personnel felt were not suitable for all viewers.
Underwood has not commented on the backlash.
