Carrie Underwood Confirms She Will Not Headline a Tour in 2026

It’s official, Carrie Underwood is not going on tour in 2026. The country music powerhouse confirmed the news during a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! with her fellow American Idol judges, Carrie Underwood and Lionel Richie.

When asked about each of their touring plans, Bryan shared details of his just-announced Word On The Street Tour, while Richie teased that new plans would be unveiled soon. Today he shared those details, revealing he will be hitting the road on his Earth, Wind & Fire: Sing A Song All Night Long Tour throughout the year.

Underwood, however, will keep her focus on judging the next wave of contestants on American Idol and being a mom to her two young boys.

“No,” she said confidently before gesturing to her co-stars. “I’ll go see them.”

Even though she won’t be embarking on her own headline run, fans will still have a few chances to catch the Oklahoma native live on stage. She has a few one-off headline shows as well as two festival appearances currently on the books, including the Wildlands Festival in Park, MT on August 1 and the Velocity Music Festival in Dyersville, IA on September 5.

This summer, she will also take the stage in Nashville as part of Alan Jackson’s final career show, “Last Call: One More For the Road – The Finale.”

Plus, the 24th overall season of American Idol (and the ninth on ABC) looks as though it will be keeping Underwood plenty busy. The singing competition show premieres tonight, January 26 on ABC and Stream on Hulu.

Last fall, Underwood, Richie and Bryan were all spotted filming for the season on the campus of Nashville’s Belmont University. This spotting of the judges is on par with the show’s academic theme, Idol University.

The network also unveiled that there will be a brand-new twist this year, that involves the judges, and the show’s host Ryan Seacrest making their way to Music City with the talented golden ticket-holders. American Idol’s beloved tradition of Hollywood Week will now trade California for Tennessee, an unexpected change that’s bound to bring new energy to the show.

Bryan explained to Kimmel that for eight years, he has been trying to make the show’s transition to Music City happen, however he didn’t have “enough weight” until his fellow country star, Carrie Underwood, joined the team last year.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by American Idol (@americanidol)

“They didn’t scare me off, so we’re back at it,” Underwood joked about her return to the show.

Having won Idol in 2005 and built a wildly successful career since then, the “Denim & Rhinestones” singer says she’s ready to help guide the next generation of aspiring performers.

“Hopefully I have some wisdom having been in their shoes that I can impart on them and help them along in that way. But it is the Idol University this year. That’s kind of our theme.”

Fans have been getting glimpses of what’s to come for months and now, the wait is finally over because it all begins tonight on ABC.