Carrie Underwood Might've Sung at the Inauguration to 'Spite' Taylor Swift, Source Says

Carrie Underwood allegedly sang at the inauguration to 'spite' Taylor Swift, a source says. Here's what to know about the theory.

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A source alleges that Carrie Underwood sang at the second inauguration of Donald Trump to 'spite' Taylor Swift. Does the theory have legs? Here's what to know.

by Lauren Weiler

Published on April 8, 2025

American Idol Season 23 judge Carrie Underwood was met with mixed feelings following her performance during the second inauguration of Donald Trump. While Underwood felt honored to perform for the controversially elected president, many of her fans were confused by her choice. Now, a source says Underwood might’ve sang at the inauguration to “spite” Taylor Swift. Here’s why.

Carrie Underwood sang an a capella version of “America the Beautiful” for the second inauguration of Donald Trump. The performance didn’t go perfectly, as Underwood ran into technical issues, leading to her singing without background instruments. However, her beautiful voice carried the iconic tune, and she gracefully overcame the unforeseen circumstances.

Underwood’s decision to perform was met with contempt by some fans. Despite this, the country singer defended her choice. “I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the Inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event,” Underwood stated, according to the New York Post. “I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future.”

A source told DailyMail.com that Underwood’s performance may have also had to do with a feud concerning Taylor Swift. “Some people close to Taylor think Carrie took the Trump inauguration gig to spite Taylor,” a source alleged. “They’ve had a little bad blood in the past, and Taylor famously endorsed Kamala Harris.”

The source added that Underwood was “marking her territory as ‘Miss Americana’ as her side of the political aisle won the election.”

So, does the theory have any legs? Another source told the publication that Underwood feels spiteful toward Swift for selling out by “going from country to pop.” There are several past instances where Underwood seemed to throw shade at Swift for Swift’s relationships, politics, and friend groups.

While Carrie Underwood has seemingly taken jabs at Taylor Swift in the past, are they really feuding? In 2012, Underwood addressed the alleged feud.

“I’m a little bit older than she is. and I feel like our music is completely different, and if anyone tries to make any comparisons, they really haven’t listened to either one of us,” Underwood explained. “She sings a little bit lighter sometimes and it’s just a difference in our brand of country.”

However, Underwood’s diplomatic response was forgotten more recently. American Idol Season 23 hopeful Zaylie Windsor performed with an original song titled “The Used.” Underwood and Lionel Richie liked Windsor’s performance, whereas Luke Bryan didn’t feel she was quite ready. Underwood then compared Windsor to Swift in an apparent jab at Swift’s vocal abilities.

“My thing is, there’s a Taylor Swift-esque quality that she has,” Underwood told Bryan. “She doesn’t have this giant vibrato, belty voice, but there’s something in there. If she did that at 14, she must have a lot of other things in her arsenal that she could bring to the table. … I feel like there’s something about her.”

Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift might not be the best of friends. However, Underwood once squashed their beef once and for all during a 2013 interview.

“No, not that I know of at least,” Underwood said in response to the feud rumors while on CBS Mornings, according to E! News. The country star then named a favorite song. “I really like ‘I Knew You Were Trouble,'” she said. “It sounded a lot different for her. I liked the branching out, trying some different sounds.”

Underwood went on to say that gossip columns can’t be believed. “In every magazine, in pretty much every newspaper, or on gossip TV shows, they can just get away with it by saying ‘a source said’ or ‘an insider said,'” she explained. “I’ve read the most ridiculous things about myself when people do that.”

With this in mind, it looks like Underwood’s inauguration performance had nothing to do with Swift.

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