American Idol judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where Bryan and Richie couldn’t resist playfully calling out Underwood for her struggle to say “no” to contestants during the audition phase of the competition.

Richie was the first to start the conversation, admitting, “I will now rat on her. What was the hardest moment for this beautiful lady?” 

As Bryan laughed, he said, “The first contestant? ‘Yes. Go through.’ Second contestant. ‘Yes. Go through.’ Third contestant…Ohhh. And Luke and I would laugh and were like, we go, ‘Well, she’s got to say no.’ She said, ‘Well, she’s so cute. She’s so adorable.’ The answer is no!” 

Defending herself, Underwood admitted, “I care a lot. And it’s people’s hopes and dreams…We have to evaluate. Is there more in there? Do I think there is more in there?” 

Without hesitation, Bryan quipped, “There was not any more in that one particular. It was firm. It was no.” 

Richie then added, “Plus we have 180 people behind her waiting to hear yes or no.” 

This is a full-circle moment for Carrie Underwood, who won season 4 of Idol in 2005. During her Tonight Show appearance, Underwood recalled her audition after Fallon showed her a photo from the moment she won over the judges. 

“I was a baby,” she shared. “I was 21 years old in this photo and a lot happened in the show. It was crazy. A small town girl. And I had to get on a plane by myself and fly out to LA and it was nuts.”

Leading up to the show, Underwood is revisiting her Idol journey in a new series dubbed, “Idol To Icon.” The series debuted earlier this week. Click below to watch the first episode.  

Fans can catch Carrie Underwood’s return to American Idol as a judge alongside Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie this Sunday, March 9, when the season premiere airs on ABC. The eighth season on ABC—and the 23rd season of the franchise—begins with a two-hour premiere from 8:00-10:01 p.m. EDT/PDT, with episodes available to stream on Hulu the following day.

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