Carrie Underwood is returning to American Idol, but reportedly, the gig pays less than what Katy Perry made. After Perry announced her retirement from the singing competition series, many wondered who would be taking her spot, with plenty of names thrown around. Underwood, who won the fourth season of Idol back in 2005, was announced to be joining the judges’ panel for the upcoming season. While it’s certainly exciting to have her sitting on the other side of the table, an ABC source tells Life & Style that the job came with a cut price salary.

“It’s well known internally that Miley Cyrus was the network and the producers’ first choice to replace Katy, but topping Katy’s already-high salary was never on the table with Miley,” the source claimed. “Katy’s enormous salary was an outlier, and it was that high because ABC was asking for a lot of her time away from making music and performing, more time than she had ever given something other than her own pop career.”

(Photo:NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 02: Carrie Underwood is seen performing in concert on ABC’s Good Morning America Summer Concert Series in Central Park on August 02, 2024 in New York City.

– NDZ/Star Max/GC Images)

Before Underwood nabbed the spot, it was previously reported that the newly-minted Disney Legend was in the running to take over for Perry. With Cyrus’ experience in the industry since she was just barely a teen and having also been a coach on The Voice, it wouldn’t have been a bad choice. But it was “different” when it came to Underwood since “she’s been part of the Idol family since its early days and she has vested interest in the franchise continuing.”

“She’s also just a natural at using her [past] appearances on the show to promote her own music, something we’re seeing Katy struggle with now that she’s back to being a full-time pop star,” the source shared.  “But another one of Carrie’s strengths is her humility, and Carrie did not need to be offered a Katy-sized salary to come back into the franchise.  Ego is not what drives her and she isn’t a greedy person. And culturally, she’s a better fit with the show, the producers, and ABC thanks to her middle-America appeal.”

Why she cut pay had to happen is unknown, but Katy Perry was reportedly making $25 million per season, so it’s not so surprising that ABC would want to tone it down if they didn’t have to keep it that high, especially if Carrie Underwood doesn’t really care. Auditions for the new season are currently underway, with new episodes set to premiere sometime in early 2025.