Rumors about a long-simmering rivalry between Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood are back in heavy rotation, fueled by fresh tabloid reporting and a handful of headline-grabbing moments. The latest wave hinges on claims that Underwood is deliberately trying to one-up Swift with strategic career moves — from a patriotic performance at President Trump’s 2025 inauguration to a renewed push into acting — while tossing the occasional not-so-subtle jab. The chatter is loud. The hard proof? Not as loud.
Here’s the broad picture: outlets including the Daily Mail and RadarOnline are leaning into a narrative that dates to the early 2010s, when Swift shifted from Nashville’s country mainstream to full-throttle pop. That pivot made Swift a global juggernaut — and, according to unnamed sources, left Underwood feeling that country had been slighted. It’s a juicy storyline: one superstar stays rooted in the genre; the other crosses over, storms the charts, and reshapes pop culture. But most of the boldest claims still come from unnamed insiders, not on-the-record sources.
What’s fueling the talk right now
The newest flashpoint arrives with Underwood’s performance of 'America the Beautiful' at Trump’s 2025 inauguration, which some observers framed as a claim to the 'Miss Americana' mantle — a nod to Swift’s 2020 documentary title and, symbolically, to cultural turf. Swift has aligned publicly with Democrats in recent election cycles, so the optics instantly turned political for fans on both sides. Historically, artists have performed at inaugural events across parties, but in today’s climate, few bookings get read as neutral.
Another layer: Underwood is said to be re-engaging Hollywood after a well-received cameo on Netflix’s 'Cobra Kai' in 2021. That move is being cast by some as a calculated counter to Swift’s bumpy film credits in 'Cats' (2019) and 'Amsterdam' (2022), both of which underperformed. Then there’s the social-media microscope on Underwood’s on-air comments. During a recent appearance on 'American Idol' — the franchise that launched her — she reportedly compared a contestant’s voice to Swift’s while questioning the performance overall. Fans parsed it as backhanded. Others heard a straight artistic comparison. No official statement from Underwood’s side has clarified the intent.
The history is messy, too. Back in 2012, when Underwood co-hosted the CMAs with Brad Paisley, their monologue included jokes that played on Swift’s highly publicized dating life, a staple of awards-show humor at the time. In 2015, Underwood contrasted Swift’s famous 'squad' by praising her own tight-knit circle as 'normal people' — a line that drew headlines even if it wasn’t a direct callout. Underwood has also bristled at comparisons, telling reporters in 2011 that she and Swift make different music and that anyone conflating them isn’t listening closely.
Put it together and you get a track record that’s easy to frame as competitive. But the biggest missing piece remains the same as it’s always been: neither star has publicly acknowledged a feud, and representatives for both have tended to let the speculation burn without adding oxygen.
- Inauguration optics: Underwood’s patriotic performance in January was read by some as a cultural stake in the ground and by others as a nonpartisan booking.
- Acting lanes: Underwood is said to be weighing significant screen projects following her 'Cobra Kai' cameo; Swift’s recent scripted roles drew mixed results, while her concert film shattered records.
- On-air quips: A recent 'American Idol' moment sparked debate over whether a Taylor comparison was shade or simply shorthand for a vocal style.
- Long memory: CMA monologue jokes and the 'squad' remark resurface each time this storyline cycles.
There’s also a straight structural explanation for why this narrative keeps resurfacing: contrast sells. Underwood has stayed largely anchored to country — Grand Ole Opry member, multiple CMA host gigs, a run as one of the genre’s most reliable headliners. Swift broke the country-pop barrier and built one of the most global careers in modern music. That difference makes for a clean media frame, especially when politics, awards, and box office get folded in.
The wider context: career math, politics, and media incentives
Start with what’s measurable. Swift’s pop era began in earnest with 2014’s '1989' and has since rolled through record-smashing projects, including a history-making touring run. Her Eras Tour — plus the corresponding concert film — set revenue benchmarks few thought possible a decade ago. She now sits among the most decorated artists in Grammy history, with double-digit wins and multiple Album of the Year trophies. Underwood’s ledger is serious too: eight Grammys, a long-standing Sunday Night Football anthem, a Las Vegas 'Reflection' residency that regularly sells out, and a string of platinum albums that made her a country mainstay for nearly two decades.
On the film front, Swift’s scripted appearances in 'Cats' and 'Amsterdam' didn’t land, but her self-directed videos and the Eras concert film demonstrated a different kind of box-office pull — one built on a direct artist-to-fan pipeline. Underwood’s 'Cobra Kai' cameo showed easy on-screen presence; reports that she’s engaging with more scripts suggest she’s testing that lane without abandoning music. None of that proves a rivalry. It does show two stars diversifying in different ways.
Political readings add heat but not much clarity. Swift’s civic engagement — voter registration pushes, endorsements, issue posts — is public and traceable. Underwood has mostly kept her politics private. Performances at inaugurations get judged differently now than they did even a decade ago, but the tradition of artists appearing at official events is long and bipartisan. Interpreting a booking as a political broadside against another artist is more inference than fact unless someone says the quiet part out loud.
Then there’s how headlines get made. The music press has a long track record of amplifying rivalries between women — it’s a formula that predates social media and still drives clicks. The USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative has documented how coverage patterns can box women into competitive narratives more than their male peers. Add fandom economies, where online tribes watch every move through a win/loss lens, and a stray comment on a singing show can turn into a week-long news cycle.
What about direct evidence? Public statements from either camp are scarce. There’s no documented confrontation, no diss track, no on-stage dust-up. Most of what’s fueling this week’s headlines comes from anonymous sourcing and interpretive leaps: that inauguration equals a cultural claim; that a vocal comparison equals shade; that an acting audition equals a shot across the bow. Possible? Sure. Proven? Not yet.
Career context does help explain why the comparisons keep coming. Underwood built a power base inside country’s institutions — the CMAs, the Opry, Nashville radio — and has done it while delivering consistent vocal-first performances and stadium-ready tours. Swift pivoted toward pop songwriting that blurred genre lines, pulled in indie collaborators, and scaled her live show into an economy unto itself. One leans on a traditional gatekeeper network; the other built a direct-to-fan empire. That’s not a feud so much as two business models.
Timing also matters. We’re in a post-genre moment where crossovers are the norm. Shania Twain did it before; Kacey Musgraves and others straddle lanes now. The difference with Swift is sheer scale — the crossover didn’t just work; it rewired the market and touring economics. Underwood, meanwhile, preserved country bona fides while modernizing her sound at the edges, a choice that keeps her center stage in Nashville even as styles shift.
So where does this go next? Underwood is active with her residency and is reportedly weighing fresh on-screen projects. Swift continues to dominate release cycles and touring windows whenever she chooses to flip the switch. Any time their paths cross — an awards show, a chart week, a film announcement — expect the rivalry narrative to flare. It fits the media’s favorite template: two stars, one crown, a thousand little tells.
Worth keeping in mind: what fans see as shade can also be shorthand. Artists compare voices to give contestants benchmarks. Awards-show monologues punch up whoever’s most famous that year. And inaugurations, however polarizing now, have long mixed politics with pop. If either star wants to settle the score publicly, they both own platforms big enough to do it. Until then, most of what we have is inference, memory, and the internet’s appetite for a two-queen storyline.
One last reality check: both artists are winning by their own measures. Underwood’s consistency is the kind labels dream about — ticket sales, TV moments, brand partnerships, and a loyal core that shows up. Swift’s global reach makes every release an economic event. Different lanes. Different metrics. Plenty of room on the road.