Sophia Michaels
Controversy swirled around Carrie Underwood when she was announced to perform at Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, especially due to her prior silence on political matters. Following her rendition of “America the Beautiful,” viewers noted that she seemed to ignore Kamala Harris while greeting both Joe Biden and Donald Trump, sparking criticisms online. CBS News captured the moment, which was later shared on TikTok.
Viewers were quick to express their displeasure on X, previously Twitter. One user pointed out, “Carrie Underwood shook everyone’s hand except Kamala’s.” Another chimed in with criticism regarding her perceived disrespect towards Harris. One supporter of Harris suggested that Underwood’s performance was poor and dismissed her behavior as indicative of being “two-faced.”
Despite the controversy, it was reported that Underwood faced technical difficulties during her performance and might have been feeling off beforehand.
Carrie Underwood reportedly had a meltdown after her inauguration performance
Underwood’s inauguration performance faced significant hiccups due to a technical error that prevented her backing track from playing. Standstill for a minute, she finally opted to sing “America the Beautiful” a cappella while encouraging audience participation.
Aside from the technical mishap, sources revealed that Underwood wasn’t pleased with the limited stage space compared to performances by artists like Beyoncé and Lady Gaga at past inaugurations. A source indicated her dissatisfaction stemmed from feeling cramped, leading to a mini meltdown post-performance. “She felt like she was ushered in and out… She was used to larger venues and found it uncomfortable without a proper stage,” they mentioned. With the backlash from Kamala Harris supporters, it seems Underwood’s inauguration performance will be a talking point for a while.
