Carrie Underwood's Diva Behavior At American Idol Finale Takes Soured Reputation From Bad To Worse

The audience roared with excitement when Ryan Seacrest announced Jamal Roberts won Season 23 of "American Idol" May 18. It seemed like all but one person in the room was happy for the singer. After the final episode aired, fans couldn't help but notice judge Carrie Underwood's lack of praise for the winner, with many calling her out for being visibly unhappy that Roberts won.

Underwood — an "Idol" winner herself — just wrapped her first season as judge for the competition series. However, many feel she can't measure up to her predecessor, Katy Perry, and are hoping the country star doesn't come back next season. The final nail in the proverbial coffin was finale night, when she appeared apathetic to Roberts' win despite her fellow judges, Luke Bryant and Lionel Richie, giving him a standing ovation. "Not Carrie Underwood sitting down and probably being told to stand up when Jamal won," one X user pointed out, adding a clip of Underwood's clearly delayed reaction.

Many believed the "Before He Cheats" hitmaker's shoutout to Roberts on her Instagram was damage control from her less-than-enthusiastic response during the live show. She wrote, "I'm so proud of @officialjamalroberts and all he has accomplished this season and I can't wait to see what mountains he climbs next!" However, people weren't buying what she was selling. "She's def posting this to make herself look better," someone commented. Another asserted, "Body language and facial expressions says alot [sic]."

It seems as though Carrie Underwood's congratulatory post for Jamal Roberts on Instagram wasn't enough to redeem her, so she took to the social media platform again, this time with a very strange announcement. "We've got another new life around the farm!" she began an Instagram post about her new goat. "This little guy happened to be born on the day of the @americanidol finale, so we figured it would only be right if we named him Jamal!!!" There were certainly mixed reviews about this gesture in the comments.

While some thought it was an adorable tribute to the season's champion, others found it offensive and sparked the rumor that Underwood was intentionally shady. "Ain't no way yall think this is ok...." one user wrote. "This is in extremely [poor] taste to the point that it's mocking," someone else said.

It doesn't come as a shock to the viewers who were clued in to some of the criticism Underwood gave Roberts during the season. After his rendition of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," Underwood gave him a few pointers, saying (via the Daily Mail): "I feel like you missed such an opportunity to move around and entertain."