American Idol bosses are acutely aware of the impact that Carrie Underwood's inauguration performance could have on the show, with fears it may unravel hard-fought efforts to improve LGBTQ representation.
The country star, 41, was invited to sing America The Beautiful as President Donald Trump, 78, was sworn in for a second term in office on Monday.
Her decision to perform for the Republican was polarising and prompted calls to boycott her upcoming debut as a judge on the popular ABC show.
Now, insiders have claimed there are concerns that contestants may feel 'uncomfortable' which could prove problematic for the show's 'values' and ratings. 'Idol contestants come from a wide range of diverse backgrounds, and so do the people who work on the show,' a source told DailyMail.com exclusively. 'There are concerns that her apparent political stance might make some contestants feel uncomfortable.'
On Monday, January 20, pop culture guru Evan Ross Katz posted a photo to Instagram of former vice president Kamala Harris looking off into the distance as she stood behind Underwood at the event.
The "Jesus Take the Wheel" artist, for her part, was in the midst of singing an a cappella version of "America the Beautiful" after sound equipment failed just before she was set to perform. "Kamala Harris evoking Coco Montrese ('Girl, find the note') watching Carrie Underwood at today's chilling Inauguration," Katz captioned the photo, invoking RuPaul's Drag Race star Coco Montrese's viral phrase, in which she encouraged another contestant to "find the note" amid an awkward a cappella performance.
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...