Carrie Underwood returned to American Idol for a full-circle career highlight that she couldn’t be more grateful for. As accustomed as she is to singing on stage and in front of thousands of fans, though, she recently admitted that being on camera isn’t her fave.

In a sit-down with Cody Alan on SiriusXM’s The Highway Highway Mornings show (channel 56), Carrie revealed that she finds being on camera to be one of her shortcomings.

“I’m not great at that, am I,” she genuinely (yet self-deprecatingly) asks. “In general, I feel like I’m such a private person, and I get on stage and I love to sing—it’s one of my favorite things to do. [But] I’m like, ‘Dear lord, please don’t let me talk.’”

Given how long she’s been professionally performing, the “Jesus, Take the Wheel” singer knows she’s improved upon her on-film stage presence, just not to the degree she’d necessarily like.

“I feel like I’ve gotten better in 20 years; I’m slightly better than I used to be,” she admits. “But I’ve just never been great at putting down the walls and just feeling like I could be myself.”

But being back on American Idol—the place where her fame all began—certainly helps. “There’s so much about that show—there [are] people that work there that literally worked there 20 years ago; we’ve all grown up together,” Carrie reflects. “I’ve known them for that long and been on the show throughout the years, so I get to see them periodically—I’ve known Luke for a long time; Lionel’s a sweetheart— [and] it’s such a good environment that it just feels like a safe space.”

Carrie Underwood returned to American Idol as a judge for Season 23 on March 9, 2025. She worked alongside Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Ryan Seacrest through the finale in May, when Jamal Roberts was crowned the Season 23 winner. Carrie is set to continue in this role in 2026, when Season 24 premieres in the spring.