Carrie Underwood gets called out for telling Jamal Roberts to 'move around' on 'American Idol'
Carrie Underwood has quite a love-hate relationship with 'American Idol' viewers. While her Season 4 winner status has earned her a loyal fan base, her judging duties unfortunately failed to win over many. In a fresh instance, Underwood once again was at the receiving end of backlash after her remarks on Jamal Roberts failed to resonate with fans. Her critique sparked such frustration that viewers took to social media to openly call her out.
Roberts performed Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' from the 2000 Disney film 'Remember the Titans' during the Monday, May 12 episode. His performance earned him major praise and a standing ovation from Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, while Underwood stayed seated. Foster's performance also earned a huge response from the crowd, with Bryan telling him, "You deserve every bit of this," as per the Daily Mail. Richie also praised Jamal's ability to "Jamalerize" a song, calling the performance "amazing" and encouraging fans to vote.
Underwood, however, while admitting that Robert's "voice is incredible," surprised many by saying, "I feel like you missed such an opportunity to move around and entertain." She urged him to "pull us all in not just with your voice but everything else going on," adding, "Put 100% of yourself into it. Let's go." For his second performance, Roberts performed a soulful rendition of Beauty and the Beast's title song. Underwood was seemingly speechless and asked the other judges to comment. Richie noted that only Roberts could pull off turning the song into an R&B rendition, while Bryan enthusiastically declared, "Let's win this thing, baby! Let's win this thing!"
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Fans were least impressed with Underwood's comments and openly called her out on X. A fan said, "Carrie on American Idol is a hater. Telling Jamal to move around on stage when the other f***ing performers stood their ass in one spot as well," while another shared, "How f*****g unfair it is for Carrie to tell Jamal To move around But John Foster and Slater don’t move around. When has Breanna ever danced around?" A viewer remarked, "What kills me is Carrie telling Jamal he needs to move around, but these others are staying in the same spot and not moving."
Carrie on American idol is a hater. Telling Jamal to move around on stage when the other fckin performers stood they ass in one spot as well
— Gingerbread 💋 (@BriaMarieM18) May 13, 2025
Meanwhile, another fan said, "Carrie Underwood told Jamal to move around more yet praised the other dude who stood still as well. SMH. The hate was written on her face from the moment he stepped on stage." A fan added, "Again, not about Jamal from my standpoint, but Carrie not being a good fit for the show as a judge. Didn’t even realize she said that, but since you mentioned it, it is stupid, because Jamal has obviously moved around and danced repeatedly in various performances."
Carrie Underwood telling Jamal to move around more yet praised the other dude who stood still as well smh. The hate was written on her face from the moment he stepped on stage.
— Antwoin Monach (@AntwoinMonach) May 13, 2025
Despite Underwood's comment, Roberts managed to secure a place in the top 3 along with John Foster and Breanna Nix. The 'American Idol' Season 23 grand finale will air live on May 18, 2025, as per USA Today. The finale is slated to feature high-energy performances and a special segment with judges Bryan, Underwood, and Richie performing together.
