Watch Carrie Underwood Burst Into Tears Following ‘American Idol’ Win

Kevin Winter / Getty Images

Back in 2005, a blonde Oklahoma-native with a powerful voice was crowned the fourth winner of American Idol. Nearly two decades later, Carrie Underwood has become a household name on a global scale, selling out arenas on a national level.

“Congratulations to the both of you for being here on this stage right now,” said Idol host Ryan Seacrest. “One of you is about to make television history, here we go. The winner of American Idol 2005 is Carrie Underwood!”

As she heard her name read, the 22-year-old immediately burst into tears as everyone ran onto stage to congratulate her. Following her historical win, the country singer performed her debut single, “Inside Your Heaven,” noticeably overcome with emotion throughout her performance.

With a record-breaking 500 million votes cast, Underwood edged out long-haired Alabama rocker Bo Bice to take home the $1 million recording contract. The season was heralded as one of the toughest-matched pairings of the series.

In celebration of the twelfth anniversary of her life changing forever, the country singer recently shared an emotional photo collage to her Instagram account of the night her “dreams came true.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Carrie Underwood (@carrieunderwood)

Post-American Idol Success

Following the release of her debut single, “Inside Your Heaven,” Carrie Underwood became the first country artist to debut at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the only solo act in the genre to have a No.1 song on the Hot 100 chart in the 2000s.

Carrie has since released 8 more studio albums, one greatest hits album, and 29 singles. As of 2023, Underwood had sold more than 85 million albums, won 8 Grammys, 16 ACM Awards, 9 CMA Awards, 26 CMT Music Awards, and more than 120 other global awards, making her one of the most successful American Idol winners in the show’s history.

Watch the moment Carrie Underwood won American Idol and her life changed forever in the video below.