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Carrie Underwood has been feeling the heat ever since she was announced as one of the performers to sing at Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony on Monday.
But things got even hotter during her actual performance — and not in a good way.
The American Idol winner was tapped to sing America the Beautiful after the 78-year-old was sworn in as the 47th president.
Following Trump’s inaugural address, it was Underwood’s turn to sing along with the Armed Forces Chorus.
However, as she stood on the stage during a couple minutes of awkward silence, when the music meant to accompany them didn’t play, the country star was forced to improvise.
Underwood quietly consulted an official before grabbing the microphone and saying to the crowd, “You know the words; help me out here.”
She stood in front of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for the performance, and once the set finished, she shook hands with Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
Many networks covering the inauguration called out Underwood for handling the snafu with class.
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“We just have to mention an unplanned part of the ceremony that took place a few moments ago,” NBC’s Savannah Guthrie said.
“There was a pause right before Carrie Underwood was meant to sing. It seems as though there was some kind of problem with the accompaniment of the band that was supposed to play along with her,” she explained to viewers, according to the New York Post.
“So yes, spontaneously she sang a cappella with a few scattered voices.”
Despite the hiccup, many panned her performance — which presumably would have happened even if everything went according to plan given how unhappy and “disappointed” some of her fans were for appearing at the inauguration in the first place.
It was announced last Monday that the Before He Cheats singer, who wore a sleeveless grey draped midi dress by Opificio Modenese, was one of many musicians tapped to perform at the event.
“I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event. I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future,” she said in a statement.
Underwood, who grew up in Oklahoma, has never publicly supported Trump during his political career.
“I try to stay far out of politics if possible, at least in public, because nobody wins,” she told The Guardian in 2019.
“It’s crazy,” she added. “Everybody tries to sum everything up and put a bow on it, like it’s black and white. And it’s not like that.”