Carrie Underwood and Ryan Seacrest teamed up to hilariously poke fun at the moment that has “haunted” Underwood for 20 years.
Underwood left her Oklahoma hometown and ventured to Hollywood for the first time to compete on American Idol in 2005. She went on to win the show’s fourth season and launch her career as an award-winning country artist. But during Idol’s Hollywood Week, Underwood became known for a moment she said people still bring up.
In 2005, longtime American Idol host Seacrest asked then 21-year-old Underwood whether she’d seen any “stars” in Hollywood. She replied: “It’s been pretty cloudy.”
“This moment has haunted me, literally, for 20 years. People still bring it up,” Underwood said when she rewatched it on the Idol To Icon online series. The episodes show Underwood reliving her Idol days and sharing what she remembers now that she’s returning to the show as a judge for the first time. “It just was what it was. We were talking about buildings and palm trees and things that were outside, and then all of a sudden he threw me a curveball and is talking about celebrities. My brain was still in ‘outdoor’ mode, so — a lot of people, actually, I remember at the time were like the keyboard warriors. Like, ‘nobody’s this dumb.’ ‘Surely, this is scripted.’ I’m sad to say it was not scripted.”
Seacrest and Underwood re-enacted that moment 20 years later on the latest episode of Idol. Underwood is now a judge alongside Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie. Jelly Roll also joined the show as the first-ever artist in residence to help guide contestants.
“Twenty years later, have you seen any stars yet?” Seacrest asked.
“No, Ryan. It’s still pretty cloudy,” Underwood replied.
“Well, at least you get to make stars now,” Seacrest said. “Let’s get in there.”
As the pair entered the venue, hip-hop star Flavor Flav appeared and introduced viewers to American Idol. Watch that moment again here: