‘American Idol' judge Carrie Underwood admits it's 'difficult' to bring faith into Hollywood
Carrie Underwood has never shied away from leaning on her faith.
During Monday's episode of "American Idol," the "Jesus Take the Wheel" songstress shared a heartfelt testimony after contestants Rylee and Breanna went head-to-head during a performance of Brandon Lake's "Gratitude" - a song dedicated to worshiping God.
"I know how difficult it is to come into the entertainment industry and bring your faith with you," Underwood said while getting emotional. "It is a brave thing to do because there are a lot of outside forces that are going to tell you not to do that."
The country star is no stranger to facing public opinion.
Earlier this year, the "All American Girl" singer caught heat from fans for agreeing to sing at President Donald Trump's inauguration.
"I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event," Underwood, who was joined by the Armed Forces Choir and the United States Naval Academy Glee Club, said in a statement. "I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future."
With a widespread fan base, Underwood's political beliefs have often been at the center of debate.
"There is someone I do support, but I don't support publicly," the country star told TV Guide in 2008. "I lose all respect for celebrities when they back a candidate. It's saying that the American public isn't smart enough to make their own decisions. I would never want anybody to vote for anything or anybody just because I told them to."
In 2012, Underwood faced both backlash and praise after seemingly speaking out in support of gay marriage.
"As a married person myself, I don't know what it's like to be told I can't marry somebody I love, and want to marry," she told The Independent in 2012. "I can't imagine how that must feel. I definitely think we should all have the right to love, and love publicly, the people that we want to love."
"Above all, God wanted us to love others. It's not about setting rules, or [saying] 'Everyone has to be like me'. No. We're all different," she added. "That's what makes us special. We have to love each other and get on with each other. It's not up to me to judge anybody."
WATCH: CARRIE UNDERWOOD PERFORMS 'AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL' AT PRESIDENT TRUMP'S INAUGURATION
As one of the most popular singers in country music, the eight-time Grammy Award-winner knows that she cannot please everyone.
"The role-model word is really scary to me, because no matter what happens in your life, something you do, wear, say, sing, whatever — somebody somewhere is probably not going to like it too well," she told the Associated Press in 2012. "I just really try hard to do what I do and try to be nice to people and make great music, and if people think they can look up to that, that's wonderful. If not, that's OK, too."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Elle
an hour ago
- Elle
Is High-Speed Sailing the New Formula 1?
Nearly 10,000 fans gathered this past weekend to watch some of the world's top sailors race past the Statue of Liberty, with the iconic New York City skyline as their backdrop. SailGP, a fast-growing sailing league in its fifth season, held the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix in New York Harbor for crowds seated in stands along the water's edge. The investors and organizers behind SailGP believe that high-speed boats and exciting athletes can bring young fans to a sport that many consider stuffy and inaccessible. The race was the third in the US Rolex SailGP Championship, following events in Los Angeles and San Francisco; in total, the season will include 14 events on five continents, with hopes to expand in coming years. Attendees saw a brutal race through the rain on Saturday, followed by a final round on Sunday. The Spanish team took the top prize, with New Zealand and France ranking in second and third, respectively. Saturday's weather made it 'a super, super tricky day,' said Anna Weis, an American sailor. 'These are the kind of days [where] as sailors you're coming back and just scratching your head and thinking, Wow, this is really hard.' The league hopes that the international audience that has fueled the explosive growth of Formula 1 will find similar thrills on the water, according to Leah Davis, SailGP's chief marketing officer. According to SailGP's chief marketing officer Leah Davis, the league hopes to capture the excitement of the international audience that has driven Formula 1's explosive growth—and deliver that same level of thrill on the water. 'How do we take sailing to a modern, younger, global audience in a format that makes sense to today's sporting landscape?' she asks. 'We've spent so many years really perfecting the product on the water, but now it's all about how do we scale the experience and the fun? We call it après-sail, which is our take on that guest experience.' Last week, Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds became co-owners of the Australian team, while other investors include Anne Hathaway and Issa Rae. DJ Khaled holds a unique role with SailGP as its official Chief Hype Officer. 'Sailing as a sport has always been quite hard to bring to people visibly, to bring close to the spectators,' says Nicole van der Velden, a member of the victorious Spanish team. 'The platform that SailGP has made makes it really attractive for people to watch, [including] people that have never been into sailing. It's really cool to see that it's reaching a bigger public.' Adds Davis: 'Once people see it, it's pretty easy to fall in love within the first few minutes. You can see it's short, sharp flying boats. That's definitely new. We want to be a bit fun…our brand is [about] getting people engaged with a bit of a twinkle in our eye.'
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
🦈 Nautica is making waves with a 'Jaws' 50th anniversary collection
🦈 Nautica is making waves with a 'Jaws' 50th anniversary collection Shop the exclusive Nautica x 'Jaws' collab for vintage-inspired summer apparel. Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, Nautica is diving headfirst into summer 2025 with a bold new collaboration that's equal parts nostalgic and stylish. In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg's legendary 1975 thriller 'Jaws,' the iconic American brand has launched a limited-edition capsule collection that brings the suspense of the sea to classic nautical fashion. Whether you're a longtime fan of the film or just looking to upgrade your summer wardrobe, this cinephile-approved collection delivers a fresh take on coastal cool. Shop the Nautica x Jaws collection Shop the Nautica x Jaws capsule collection This exclusive 'Jaws' x Nautica collection is a must-have for fans of retro cinema, beach-ready fashion and all things shark-chic. The capsule features: Sleeveless and short-sleeve graphic tees with vintage-inspired Jaws artwork and with vintage-inspired Jaws artwork Fashion-forward button-downs with oceanic hues and bold prints with oceanic hues and bold prints Swimwear styles perfect for pool parties, beach days or summer movie marathons Each piece is designed to channel the thrill of the open water, with shark-inspired details, deep-sea blues, and graphic nods to the 1975 blockbuster that changed summer movies forever. Funboy's Father's Day sale is here: Save 20% on floating coolers, paddle boards for dad 💦 More: Gear up for 4th of July adventures with Amazon deals on camping + hiking essentials The 'Jaws' x Nautica capsule is available now in select stores and online at With limited quantities and high fan demand, this drop is expected to sell fast, so don't wait to sink your teeth into it. Shop the Nautica x 'Jaws' collection Athlete marks 'Jaws' 50th anniversary with 60-mile swim Swimmer Lewis Pugh circumnavigated Martha's Vineyard to mark the 50th anniversary of the movie "Jaws" and draw attention to the plight of sharks. When was 'Jaws' released? 'Jaws' was released in theaters on June 20, 1975. Where was 'Jaws' filmed? 'Jaws' was mostly filmed on Martha's Vineyard, the island off the coast of Massachusetts. Key filming spots on Martha's Vineyard included:
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Simply Spiked Bold brings extra booze, so many calories to 24-ounce cans
Simply Spiked Bold brings extra booze, so many calories to 24-ounce cans Simply made the logical conclusion right around the time canned cocktails were exploding in popularity. Instead of forcing their patrons to manually add booze to their popular line of juices and various -ades, they mashed the two together in a single can of fruit blood and malt spirits. The results were solid. Then came the offshoots, running down the Simply portfolio to bring new flavors into the fold. Limeade was a logical extension. Peach? Less so, but it tastes like carbonated candy, so it worked. Now the brand is headed toward another proven market; the high alcohol, gas station-ready king can. Simply Spiked Bold offers those fruit flavors 24 ounces at a time and with a heap of booze in the mix. Each can clocks in at eight percent alcohol by volume (ABV) and, paired with the real juice Simply's known for, a whopping 470 calories. That's a lot! In several ways! But all can be excused if it tastes great. Let's give it a shot. Cherry Limeade: B I've poured this over ice, but let's be honest. The proper way to drink any king can is to sip directly from the top. Twenty-four ounces is the most regal of the beverage containers and using an outside vessel is borderline disrespectful. The cherry limeade pours a nice purplish-pink. It smells medicinal and boozy, with lines of malt alcohol wafting off the top. That's balanced with a rush of sugar to push it back from being overly harsh -- both sour and strong. It creates a sweet ring around an overwise slightly weird drink. The cherry limeade is acidic, battling over the soul of the drink with that sugar and the boozy contents within. That makes everything fairly busy; it's tough to get a good hold on just what you're drinking on any given sip. Ultimately, the sugar wins out. The drink itself doesn't taste very authentic despite the promise of real fruit juice, but it's pleasant enough. I think that's a proper landing spot for 24 ounces of eight percent ABV malt beverage. You're not buying this for quality; you're buying it for volume, potency and drinkability. You can drink this fairly easily and reap the high booze content with minimal wincing. There's value to that. Lemonade: B- I'm drinking this one from the can as God intended; while watching playoff hockey and in dire need of a stress reliever. It smells legit; tart and citrus and, yeah, like it just came out of a tear drop shaped bottle. The taste is modestly malty for the eight percent alcohol. It's tangy and tart and very easy to drink. Especially so from a 24 ounce king can. That adds to the replay value. It's neither too sweet or too sour. The carbonation helps snap off each sip, which makes things easier. But there's still the inherent spiked lemonade feel that, oh no, something has gone wrong with this batch. There's just a little too much acid, too much sting toward the end to ever let you feel really good about it. It's heavy, which is a tough sell for a light summer drink. Then again, I could be overcompensating since I'm so used to sugar-free drinks. It's handled well -- Simply is on top of its game -- but it's a lot of sugar and booze. I can only imagine the hangover if I crushed three or four of these in a night. Which would also rack up nearly a whole day's worth of calories, per the FDA. Eeesh. Would I drink it instead of a Hamm's? This a pass/fail mechanism where I compare whatever I'm drinking (or eating) to my baseline cheap beer. That's the standby from the land of sky-blue waters, Hamm's. So the question to answer is: on a typical day, would I pick Simply Spiked Bold Lemonades over a cold can of Hamm's? It's a little too rich for me, but I can appreciate the utility of 24 relatively easy to drink ounces of 8 percent ABV lemonade. Even so, I'm sticking with the beer. This is part of FTW's Beverage of the Week series. Here, we mostly chronicle and review beers, but happily expand that scope to any beverage that pairs well with sports. Yes, even cookie dough whiskey.
