After her requests for a custom gown were allegedly shot down for her performance at President Donald Trump’s inauguration, Carrie Underwood did what the rest of us would do — she snagged an inexpensive outfit.
The glamorous looking American Idol alum performed America the Beautiful last week in Washington D.C. with the Armed Forces Chorus. But her rendition hit a snag when the music meant to accompany them didn’t play and the country music star was forced to make a change.
Underwood consulted an official before urging the crowd to help her out as she sang a cappella. “You know the words — help me out here,” she said.
But in addition to the performance not going off as she might have hoped, an insider now tells The U.S. Sunthat the singer was forced to wear a more understated outfit than she was hoping.
“She was expecting to be dressed in something custom and at the very least something couture and that the administration or the designer would foot the bill for it,” they told the outlet. “That also did not happen. Carrie ended up wearing a $300 dress off the rack and discounted shoes.”
According to the Sun, Underwood’s made-in-Italy Opificio Modenese dress currently retails for $310, and the pair of Ingiliz shoes she had on that day are on sale for $272.
Those sound like pretty good deals to us, so points to Underwood for her fabulous find.
The insider said the eight-time Grammy winner was further thrown off because she thought she was going to be able to have a large entourage with her.
“Most of the changes from the day had to do with the event being moved indoors which decreased the guest list and how many people she could bring with her – something she was not happy about,” they said.
The news about Underwood’s outfit comes after the Daily Mail reported that the Before He Cheats singer was miffed that she didn’t get a “stage or platform” like other past inauguration performers.
“Carrie was dissatisfied with her performance at the event, primarily due to the limited space she was given, which left her feeling cramped and uncomfortable,” an insider explained.
The Mail’s source added: “Her anxiety was high throughout the performance, and she felt that she was not afforded the same level of respect or admiration that previous performers, such as Beyonce and Lady Gaga, had received. She felt as if she was ushered in and out and had a mini hissy fit afterwards.”
The Mail also alleged that Underwood made a staggering list of demands before agreeing to appear at Trump’s swearing-in ceremony.
“Carrie was the inauguration day diva,” an insider told the Mail. “She’d been telling anyone who wanted to listen that Trump called her personally to ask her to perform. She hired an army of security, was requesting a handmade designer dress for the performance, and demanded she be allowed a team of 20.”
On social media, many fans praised Underwood for keeping her composure when she had to pivot to singing a cappella, with one commenter calling her “a class act” while another hailed her version of the song as “absolutely gracious.”
Conservative podcaster Megyn Kelly called Underwood a “real talent.”
Elsewhere, country star John Rich called Underwood a “Patriot” for joining Trump onstage in America’s capital.
“There are several top tier country artists who support Trump, and I wish they’d finally have the balls to come forward and be counted. Ain’t nothing outlaw about keeping your mouth shut to appease the record label. Carrie Underwood is making you look like a bunch of sissy boys,” he wrote in a post shared to X.