Carrie Underwood is headed back to where it all began after landing a gig as a judge on American Idol, but according to a new report, she will be earning significantly less than her predecessor, Katy Perry.
Life & Style reports that the 41-year-old country superstar was not ABC’s first choice to replace the departing pop singer, but the network hired her after she agreed to a salary that is about half of Perry’s staggering $25 million per season.
“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,” a source at ABC states.
“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,” the source, who is not named, continues.
In fact, Perry’s massive salary made her the second-highest paid judge in Idol history, second only to Simon Cowell.
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The source says Underwood has “been part of the Idol family since its early days and she has a vested interest in the franchise continuing,” which made it “different” when it came to negotiations.
According to the insider, “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.”
If Underwood is earning half of Perry’s previous salary, that would put her closely in line with Luke Bryan, who reportedly rakes in $12 million per season on the iconic reality singing competition. Lionel Richie earns a reported $10 million for each season.
Underwood became American Idol‘s first country winner when she won Season 4 in 2005, launching a career as one of the most successful singers of her generation. On Aug. 1, ABC announced that Underwood would return to the show as a judge, joining Bryan and Richie for the upcoming season.
ABC has not announced a premiere date for the upcoming season of American Idol.
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Gallery Credit: Sterling Whitaker
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Sterling Whitaker is a Senior Writer and Senior Editor for Taste of Country. He focuses on celebrity real estate, as well as coverage of Yellowstone and related shows like 1883 and 1923. He’s interviewed cast members including Cole Hauser, Kelly Reilly, Sam Elliott and Harrison Ford, and Whitaker is also known for his in-depth interviews with country legends including Don Henley, Rodney Crowell, Trace Adkins, Ronnie Milsap, Ricky Skaggs and more.