Carrie Underwood Balances Family Life and 'American Idol' Commitment Without Quitting

Carrie Underwood is throwing her heart and soul into American Idol and she’s committed to the role for the long term, despite reports suggesting otherwise – but a solid source exclusively tells Life & Style that she is finding it difficult being away from her kids and husband Mike Fisher for long periods.

“She’s on the road a lot. She’s missing her kids and Mike, which is very tough,” the insider spills. “They FaceTime day and night and she flies home every spare moment she gets, but it’s not the same as just being there.”

Still, as tough as it is to be away from her family, the insider says the “Before He Cheats” singer is “nowhere near throwing in the towel” on her work with the hit talent competition.

“She loves doing the show. Not only is it a huge opportunity and a massive paycheck, it’s also really fun,” the insider continues. “She loves working with the guys and the whole crew has been so great. Her biggest joy is helping the contestants through a really bewildering experience.”

Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood and Ryan Seacrest

While her gig as a judge on American Idol is “emotional” for her for many reasons, it’s also “really beautiful because she’s able to connect with so many people and know exactly what they’re going through,” according to the insider.

“At the end of the shoot day, she’s always totally drained from the highs and lows and just goes back to her hotel room to crash,” adds the insider. “Those nights can be very hard because she just wants to be in Mike’s arms or reading bedtime stories to her kids and instead all she can do is see them through a phone screen.”

Despite feeling homesick, Carrie is reportedly pushing forward with her career endeavors and even considering adding more to her plate! Another source exclusively told Life & Style that she is thinking about collaborating on a song with fellow country singer Jelly Roll.

“She’s such a fan of his music too, she thinks he’s so talented and loves how their voices sound together,” the source said at the time. “When fans started saying they should collab, that actually had a big impact. It put it out there and now they are seriously talking about doing just that.”

Carrie Underwood

A major upside to their potential team-up is that they could “capitalize on the promo via the show [American Idol] and also promote the show when they promote the song,” added the source.

“It’s kind of a no-brainer to do this,” the source continued. “It may even get fast tracked to capitalize on the fan interest right now.”

However, a third source told Life & Style in January that 2025 is already set to be “absolutely packed for Carrie, to the point where people around her are questioning if she’s biting off more than she can chew.”

On top of her work on American Idol, the source revealed she has “all kinds of gigs lined up, plus her residency in Las Vegas. It’s hard to imagine how she’ll pull it all off.”