Carrie Underwood made waves in pop culture on Thursday morning (Aug. 1), when she officially announced that she’s joining the cast of American Idol as a judge in 2025.

That’s a full-circle moment for the star, who got her start as a contestant on the televised singing competition almost two decades ago. Underwood won Season 4 of American Idol back in 2005, when the show was still broadcast on Fox.

But even though her career has expanded well beyond Idol, Underwood has never forgotten her roots, and this gallery of photos proves it.

Long before signing on as a judge, she continued to come back to American Idol for finale episodes, even performing with Keith Urban on the show’s stage during its network finale in 2016 (the show was later picked up and rebooted by ABC).

Ever since Idol‘s move to ABC, it’s had the same judging lineup: Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie. But Perry announced her departure at the end of Season 22, leaving fans speculating about who would be filling the empty chair.

As part of Thursday morning’s announcement that Underwood is joining the show, ABC also confirmed that Bryan and Richie will return, as will host Ryan Seacrest. Seacrest has been in his American Idol role since its Fox days, and in fact, he was the show host back when Underwood was crowned champion.

Leading up to Underwood’s move to the American Idol judge’s chair, Taste of Country is taking a look back at her journey with the show through the years. Scroll through the gallery below to see all the highlights of Underwood’s time on American Idol so far.

Carena Liptak is an Associate Editor and staff writer at Taste of Country. She specializes in breaking country music news, interviews and lists. In particular, she’s got a soft spot for sad songs — check out her roundup of the 50 Saddest Country Songs of All Time!