Carrie Underwood has had a historic career. She rose to fame as the winner of American Idol in 2005, but she managed to blow away any expectations she might have had by embarking on one of the most successful runs in country music history. Underwood has sold roughly 85 million albums worldwide, making her the tenth-highest selling female artist ever, and the highest-selling female country artist of all time.
There was a point in the 2000s where Carrie Underwood was one of the most recognizable faces in popular music. This astonishing level of fame and familiarity is what has perplexed fans in recent years. The country superstar has undergone some physical changes in the last decade, and a social media post alongside rapper Ludacris led many to deem her unrecognizable. The post has sparked debate about whether Underwood has had work done, or whether her altered appearance is the result of an accident she suffered.
Carrie Underwood suffered a facial injury in 2017
Carrie Underwood made headlines in 2017 after she was hospitalized for a “freak” accident. She told Vulture that she was taking her dog for a walk, when she slipped and fell. A fall doesn’t sound particularly serious in a vacuum, but this one broke Underwood’s wrist and caused major damage to her face. The singer was rushed to urgent care and was forced to get stitches in multiple places. The damage was so severe, in fact, that it inhibited her ability to sing and record new music:
I had wanted to be in the studio sooner than I was, actually recording these songs, but I had stitches inside my mouth, outside my mouth. It was physically impossible.
Underwood admitted that the injury, and the lengthy recovery process, made her self-conscious about her appearance. She took a step back from touring, and shied away from making any public appearances for several months. She even went as far as to warn her fans that she “might look a bit different.” The singer recounted the anxiety she felt over the injury during another interview with Redbook in 2018.
“Anytime someone gets injured, it looks pretty bad in the beginning,” she explained. “And you’re like, ‘What is this going to wind up like?’ You just don’t know… Life is full of ups and downs, and I might have had a few more downs than ups last year.” Underwood rebounded spectacularly, and released her sixth album, Cry Pretty, to critical acclaim. It achieved the biggest sales week for a female artist in 2018, and was eventually certified platinum.
Underwood has denied rumors that she got plastic surgery
Despite detailing her 2017 accident, there are fans who believe that Carrie Underwood actually stepped away from the limelight because she got plastic surgery done. She addressed this rumor during her Redbook interview. “It’s a little sad, because the truth is just as interesting,” she noted. “I wish I’d gotten some awesome plastic surgery to make this [scar] look better.”
Underwood’s Instagram photo with Ludacris, which was posted in May 2024, caused these rumors to resurface. There were several users who commented that the country singer didn’t look like her younger self, and began comparing the photo to Underwood’s appearance from a decade prior. It reached such a fever pitch that Dr. Steven Fallek speculated on the procedures she could have had done during a Life & Style interview.
She’s probably had some laser or microderm-abrasion to improve her skin texture. Lateral cheeks also look more pronounced, so I’d say some filler there too.
It’s important to note that there’s nothing to substantiate Dr. Fallek’s claims. A source who is reportedly close to the singer did, however, tell Life & Style that Underwood would “rather not admit” whether she’s had work done “given her wholesome image.”