Being a judge on American Idol looks easy from the outside. You sit behind a desk. You watch people sing. You say something encouraging. You move on.
Carrie Underwood has been doing it for two seasons now. And for most of that time she has been fine. More than fine, actually.
She brought credibility to the panel that Katy Perry never quite managed. She gave tough feedback when it was needed. She cried at the right moments.
BUT THEN CAME TAYLOR SWIFT NIGHT.
On April 27 Nikki Glaser joined the judging panel as a guest. Glaser is one of the most famous comedians in the country right now.
She hosted the Golden Globes. She is loud and funny and completely confident in any room she walks into.
And from the moment she sat down next to Carrie Underwood the cameras caught something that nobody on the production team could edit away.
Carrie’s awkward moment with Nikki
Fans watching live flooded social media within minutes. One viewer wrote that Carrie rarely looked at Nikki during the entire episode.
Another said, SHE WATCHED CARRIE ROLL HER EYES AT LIONEL RICHIE THE MOMENT NIKKI STARTED SPEAKING.
Someone called it unprofessional. Someone else said she looked like she could not wait for the night to end.
Carrie was booed by fans
Carrie posted a sweet photo with Nikki afterward. The comments tore it apart.
She then went on SiriusXM and said there was no beef. She said Nikki was wonderful. She said
PEOPLE ALWAYS TRY TO START SOMETHING WHEN TWO WOMEN ARE IN THE SAME ROOM.
Maybe she is right. Maybe it was nothing.
But fans who watched that episode are not moving on. And now the question being asked out loud is whether Carrie Underwood belongs behind that desk at all next season.