Carrie Underwood Reveals Her Biggest American Idol Regret
Carrie Underwood Reveals Her Biggest American Idol Regret
American Idol season 4 winner and current judge Carrie Underwood reveals what she would change if she could go back to 2005 in a time machine to her experience with the show. Carrie won American Idol season 4 and has since gone on to become a country music legend and a global superstar. When she became a judge on American Idol season 23 in 2025, she had 85 million records sold worldwide, 28 #1 singles, 8 Grammy Awards, 17 American Music Awards, 10 People’s Choice Awards, and 7 CMA Awards.
Throughout her time on American Idol season 4, Carrie was never in the bottom 2 or 3 during the competition, and it was clear early on that she was a frontrunner to win. Her biggest moment in the show was when she sang “Alone” by Heart, after which notoriously harsh judge Simon Cowell predicted that not only would she win the show, but she’d sell more records than any other previous American Idol winner.
Carrie Underwood Reveals Her American Idol Season 4 Regret
Bo Bice applauds as Carrie Underwood is announced as the winner of American Idol Season 4, while host Ryan Seacrest watches on.Via YouTube
In an interview with Billboard, Carrie was asked the one thing taht she would change from her entire time on American Idol. She expressed regret that she didn’t document her season 4 experience more. Carrie explained, “I’m very angry with myself because when I was on the show, I wasn’t taking any pictures. I’m thinking, ‘Why? Why didn’t you do that? Why didn’t you save these things?’.”
A Carrie Fan Acquired One Of Her American Idol Mementos
Carrie Underwood performing on American Idol. Via: YouTube/American Idol
Carrie went on to say that one of her fans now owns one of her American Idol season 4 mementos. She stated, “We had a girl come in that had a pair of jeans that I wore on the show, and she told me, ‘My grandpa bought these at a charity auction and I wore them on the show,’ and I asked, ‘Can I buy them back from you?’ Why did I let them go? Why didn’t I keep more things and just document things a little better?’.”
Although Carrie has some regrets about not keeping more things from her American Idol season 4 experience and not taking pictures, it’s understandable that she was most likely caught up in the moment and not thinking about how she’d feel about it twenty years later. However, Carrie did keep a journal during the show, which she read from during her 2025 American Idol YouTube companion series, Idol to Icon. The journal contains her priceless memories.
