Kelly Clarkson Believes Carrie Underwood Will 'Do Great' as 'American Idol' Judge After Rumored Tension: 'Awesome Pick'

Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood have had very similar careers — but that doesn't mean they can't be supportive of one another.

In a new interview aired Thursday, September 12, the "Stronger" singer shared her thoughts about Underwood becoming the latest judge on American Idol after there were rumors of a heated rivalry between the two.

"I think that's brilliant," Clarkson — who won the reality competition series' first season in 2002 before going on to become a coach on NBC's similar series The Voice in 2018 — admitted to a news publication. "Like, what better person to have — somebody that's won that show to come back."

Underwood was declared the winner of American Idol 's fourth season in 2005, which is why The Kelly Clarkson Show host is certain the "Before He Cheats" singer will be able to "be honest with" contestants since she's been in their shoes and has had "a huge career."

Clarkson explained: "That's invaluable. To have somebody to look at and go, 'OK, they've done it and they're sitting right there. So, that means I am capable of doing it. I can dream that big.'"

Doubling down on her approval of Underwood as a judge , the "Because of You" singer called the "Jesus, Take the Wheel" songstress an "awesome pick" to replace Katy Perry for Season 23 of American Idol , which is set to air in Spring 2025.

"I think she's going to do great," Clarkson, 42, gushed of Underwood, 41.

The "A Moment Like This" hitmaker's positive comments come more than one year after Clarkson subtly shaded Underwood for claiming she was the first artist to bring country music to American Idol — despite the "Underneath the Tree" vocalist previously winning with her southern talents.

Appearing on Dax Shepard 's "Armchair Expert" podcast in June 2023, Clarkson recalled how the show's executive producer at the time, Simon Fuller , was from England and disapproved of contestants who wanted to perform country music during the TV series.

"When I won Idol, I kept begging for country week!" she expressed. "But they were a British owned company and did not understand country music. You're welcome, Carrie Underwood !"

Never miss a story — sign up for the OK! newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what OK! has to offer. It’s gossip too good to wait for!

Later that month, Clarkson squashed rumors of any serious tension between the two during a guest appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen .

"People always pit us together and we don’t even know each other well enough to be pitted against each other," she mentioned. "Literally, we’ve ran into each other a handful of times. There’s no beef between us. There’s nothing between us. We don’t know each other. We’ve literally run into each other a few times."

She even praised Underwood for agreeing to be a guest on Clarkson's NBC talk show in December 2022.

"It was awesome. It was great to have her on the show ," the "Since U Been Gone" performer stated. "I’d love to have her there in person. It was during COVID so it was over Zoom. So it’d be cool [to have her in person]."

E! News interviewed Clarkson.