Carrie Underwood teamed up with rock legend Billy Idol to kick off American Idol’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame night on Monday (April 13).

Underwood kicked off the performance wearing a studded leather jacket with the word “IDOL” printed in eye-catching red letters. She exclaimed to the audience, “everybody, make some noise for the original idol: Billy Idol!” The pair, accompanied by powerhouse guitarist Steve Stevens, delivered an electrifying rendition of “Rebel Yell.” Idol released the iconic anthem in the ‘80s. American Idol host Ryan Seacrest joined the group on stage after the performance, which earned a standing ovation from the audience and Underwood’s fellow judges, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan. Seacrest revealed, “huge breaking news… Billy Idol and longtime collaborator Steve Stevens will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2026.”

“What is my life?!?! I got the incredible chance tonight to sing with THE [Billy Idol] and [Steve Stevens] as part of our [Rock & Roll Hall of Fame] night on [American Idol],” Underwood wrote in a caption on Instagram. “It was an honor for me to get to share the stage with some real legends! Billy was so kind and put up with my nervousness and fangirling…I still can’t believe THAT just happened!”

Other artists appearing in the Class of 2026 include Oasis, Phil Collins, Iron Maiden and more. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on November 14 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California. Viewers can watch the induction ceremony the following month on ABC and Disney+. See the full list of 2026 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees here.

The “Rebel Yell” performance was the latest time Underwood has shared the stage with a legendary rocker. She welcomed Joan Jett to the stage at CMA Fest in 2019, joined Guns N’ Roses on some of the band’s tour dates in 2023, performed a mashup with Steven Tyler of Aerosmith on CMT’s Crossroads in 2011, and collaborated with Papa Roach on a version of the group’s “Leave a Light On (Talk Away the Dark).” Watch Underwood’s performance of “Rebel Yell” with Idol and Stevens below.

American Idol airs on ABC on Monday nights from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET/PT. It’s available to stream the next day on Hulu.

Bryan is part of the star-studded lineup of the 2026 iHeartCountry Festival. The show also includes Carly Pearce, Kane Brown, Parker McCollum, Riley Green, Shaboozey, Dylan Scott, Russell Dickerson, Gretchen Wilson, Chase Matthew, Lauren Alaina and special guest George Birge. iHeartRadio's Bobby Bones is returning as the event’s host. The show will take place on May 2 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Tickets to the show are available as of January 23. Fans across the country will be able to catch all the action as the 2026 iHeartCountry Festival will be broadcast live across iHeartCountry stations nationwide and the free iHeartRadio app on Saturday, May 2nd at 8pm ET/5pm PT (7pm CT).

Brooke Taylor

Follow

Email

Call