Carrie Underwood has fired back at Simon Cowell after his resurfaced comments calling her performance “a little robotic” stirred up fresh controversy.

Now 42 and a powerhouse judge on American Idol, Carrie took a moment to reflect on the early days of her career as she rewatched the very performance that catapulted her to stardom two decades ago. But what started as a nostalgic trip down memory lane quickly turned into a pointed response, as she addressed Cowell’s past critique with both grace and confidence. “I was nervous, sure—but robotic? Maybe I was just focused,” she said with a smile, adding that winning the show and building a chart-topping career speaks for itself. Fans quickly rallied behind her, praising her poise and applauding her for standing her ground.

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Carrie Underwood reckons Simon Cowell’s comments could have been worseCredit: Instagram / American Idol

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Carrie is the first winner to return to the show as a judgeCredit: Getty

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Simon’s comments came in 2005Credit: Instagram / American Idol
And she actually agrees with most of what Simon, 65, said about her performance at the time, and suggests she probably got off lightly, as Simon’s comments “could have been worse.”

In 2005, Carrie, 42, sang a rendition of Rascal Flatts’ song Bless The Broken Road, which Simon said was “very good, other than the fact that the performance was a little robotic. You sang it beautifully.”

To which Carrie has now responded to, two decades later, via her Instagram page.

She said of the comments from Simon, who at the time was sitting on the judging panel alongside Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson, “I will say, he wasn’t wrong.

“It was Top 5. It was like, ‘OK, you know, I don’t know if it’s the time to go out on a limb and do anything crazy.’

“So (you’re) picking something that you’re comfortable with, and then trying to, like, work with the staging.

“But then also, I consider myself a vocalist. I want to sing things well, and if I ever think too much about what I’m doing on stage, I feel like my vocals suffer.

“So, he was not wrong in his assessment.

“It was kind of a half compliment, half not. But it was correct. …I think in the moment, processing Simon’s critique of my performance, we had heard him say much harsher things to others and to me, as well.

“So, it was kind of like, ‘could have been worse.’”

Carrie Underwood’s Controversial Role as American Idol Judge: Behind the Scenes

She then showed off her best robot moves and asked Simon, “Does this look a little more robotic to you?” before smiling to the camera.

NOT CARRIED AWAY

The U.S. Sun recently revealed in an exclusive story that Carrie wasn’t actually the first choice to replace outgoing Katy Perry on the American Idol judging panel, and that the show would “kill” to hire a Nashville superstar instead.

“The network would kill for Luke Combs. He’s at the top of their list,” an insider claimed.

The source continued, “He’s extremely relevant, successful, down to earth, and a family man.

“And he’s a true vocalist, not just a singer. He’s got a once-in-a-generation voice.

“He really is the perfect package for this show, but the panel cannot be three men so it wouldn’t work out with this current lineup.

“But if the panel does get shaken up more one day, that’s the dream.”

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Simon was on hand when Carrie got her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018Credit: The Mega Agency

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Carrie alongside fellow judges Lionel Richie and Luke BryanCredit: Getty

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Simon pictured last year on the America’s Got Talent red carpetCredit: Getty