'American Idol' Reject Implies Carrie Underwood Said No Because of Taylor Swift (2025)

American Idol season 23 reject Presley Cash is spilling the tea on TikTok about her audition for the show, saying the producers worked with her for months to be a contender only to have the judges reject her — and Cash implies that "the tea" is that her rejection was largely due to judge Carrie Underwood and Cash's connection to Taylor Swift.

"Little did I know I was about to go in front of the American Idol judges after six months of grooming from producers saying how amazing of a singer/songwriter I was and loved my work with Taylor. Just to have Carrie Underwood say I can’t sing and I can’t hang in Hollywood. After working in Hollywood for 20 years. She knew about my work with Taylor Swift and that I was part of the BIGGEST TOUR in HERstory (the Eras tour). It seems the tea is hotter than we thought ghouls," Cash wrote on an April 9 TikTok.

Cash's Swift connection is that she starred in the music videos for both "Mean" and "I Can See You," but American Idol didn't touch on that during the broadcast. Cash's audition wasn't really shown, with the only clip aired being of her gifting skeleton gloves to the judges.

The comments on Cash's TikTok are full of Swifties and Underwood fans arguing about whether Cash should have made it to Hollywood or not.

"You’re failing to mention how you auditioned for The Voice 3 times and didn’t make it. It takes more than one 'no' to not make it passed the judges on Idol, but sure let’s smear Carrie Underwood," wrote one Underwood fan.

Another commenter chimed in with, "If you're so talented with so much experience and love from TS, why do you need American Idol?", and a third simply wrote, "Carrie is right."

A fourth pointed out that if fellow judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan had said yes, Cash would've gotten through, writing, "There’s 2 other judges so if they said yes then you would have gone it’s not all on one person saying no."

However, many commenters were quick to jump to Cash's defense and saying she's better off without American Idol.

One wrote, "I would MUCH RATHER have Taylor Swift’s support than Carrie Underwood’s. She’s just bitter she’s no longer relevant."

"You’re better than American Idol. I’m glad you got some exposure from it though! Keep plugging. You’ll blow up in no time! ❤️," wrote another fan.

A third said, "As someone who worked with those producers It’s fine babes those shows destroy singers careers anyways. She’s a snake but she did you a favor I promise 🖤."

American Idol airs Sundays and Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.