Carrie Underwood dashed fans’ hopes with just one little word during a stop on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to promote the upcoming season of American Idol.
Underwood, along with her fellow Idol judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, were nearing the end of their interview when Kimmel casually asked all three about their tour plans for 2026.
Richie teased some tour news in the pipeline, and Bryan announced his summer tour plans just last week.
But when it came to Underwood, she made it clear she’s not planning to headline this year. “No tour?” Kimmel asked her.
“No! Nah,” Underwood replied, gesturing to her fellow judges and joking, “I’ll go see them.”
And that was that: No explanation, no further discussion. Fans haven’t had any reason to expect a tour from Underwood, exactly, but her tour calendar is unusually empty this year, with just four one-offs and festival dates on the books.
Why Isn’t Carrie Underwood Touring This Year?
The most obvious possible reason is that she doesn’t currently have an album to promote. Underwood hasn’t released a full album since Denim & Rhinestones came out in 2022. She went on a tour of the same name in 2022 and 2023
Since then, the singer’s been busy with her Reflections Las Vegas residency, but that run of shows wrapped in April 2025. She has also been dedicating significant time to projects like Idol.