Carrie Underwood lauds American Idol's evolution — and Lionel Richie can't help but agree: 'If they go...'
From mocking hopefuls to Simon Cowell's harsh critiques, 'American Idol' had some of the most controversial moments in the history of reality shows. However, ever since its ABC revival in 2018, the show has evolved for good. Having been a winner of Season 4, Carrie Underwood seemingly has seen the competition from a contestant's point of view. Now, as she takes on her judging duties, the Grammy winner looks back and outlines that the singing reality show has indeed evolved. Not only Underwood but also fellow judge Lionel Richie shared his opinion and made it clear that the new seasons of 'American Idol' are the elevated versions of its predecessor installments.
In her February, 2025, interview with Entertainment Weekly, Underwood talked about her 'American Idol' journey and recalled how different the show was back then. "It was a different time in the show — in the world in general — and there was a decent chance you might get super-duper humiliated in front of tens of millions of people," she said. Notably, in the earlier days, the show often included bad auditions just to embarrass contestants for laughs.
Underwood also noted how much the format has evolved, especially since the ABC reboot in Season 16. "It's changed a lot, and hopefully people can leave with some information that will make them better — no matter how long they are on the show," she said while praising the shift away from mocking contestants like William Hung and toward giving helpful feedback. Richie also shared his views about how much 'American Idol' has evolved since its inception, saying that while the older format may have been more entertaining, the current approach is more compassionate and focused on growth.
Richie said, "Before, it was a great TV show where you go, 'Boy, you suck. Go home,' you know'? What the hell?' Now, it's, 'Okay, the kid is, first of all, traumatized from being here. A nervous wreck. How do we calm them down to build them up so they can get the best out of themselves?" Richie said that the goal now is to support and encourage contestants, even if they don't make it through, as he said, "If they go through, fantastic, but if they don't go through, we want to build them up enough to where they can go out and go, 'Okay, I gave it my best try, and Lionel and Luke and Carrie said I need to try harder.' And they'll be back."
Reportedly, 'American Idol' has shifted away from mocking bad auditions like Hung's, aiming now to help contestants grow, especially since its ABC reboot. Underwood praised the current judges for giving constructive feedback, saying, "I love that regardless of if the artists make it through to Hollywood week, this current trio of judges wants everyone to be able to take something away from their audition," as per CinemaBlend.
Notably, back in Underwood's day, Cowell was known for harsh critiques, sometimes targeting even contestants’ looks or weight, though some say that rudeness was played up for TV. While most appreciate the kinder tone today, former judge Randy Jackson believes Idol has become too soft, arguing that honesty matters because the music business is tough. Similarly, Clay Aiken, who secured second place on the 'American Idol' Season 2 in 2003, valued the old criticism, saying it helped artists grow and made better TV by showing their progress.