Nancy Lee Grahn Reveals Why She Won’t ‘Even Look’ At Carrie Underwood

Nancy Lee Grahn is making it crystal clear she’s not here for Carrie Underwood, and she’s not even pretending otherwise. The “General Hospital” star, who has a massive online following, sparked a wave of chatter after she posted a blunt message about last Thursday’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” episode, which featured “American Idol” judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie promoting Season 24.

“See ya next week @jimmykimmel,” Grahn posted on Threads. “I refuse to even look at @carrieunderwood.”

After her boycott started making headlines, Grahn returned to social media to clarify her stance, and insisted her issue wasn’t with Kimmel.

When the 69-year-old outspoken Democrat started getting press for her boycott, she clarified Saturday, “I LOVE Jimmy Kimmel & watch him every night. I would never ‘slam’ him. I simply said I would watch him next week because I didn’t want to look at Carrie Underwood (for obvious reasons) who was his guest that night.”

Actress and comedian Kathy Griffin immediately jumped to the comments section to agree with Grahn, writing, “Yeah, no love for MAGA Carrie. It’s not just about political disagreements.”

Others echoed Griffin’s comment, with one user writing, “Yeah, f-ck Carrie Underwood. So proud of you, Nancy! Thank you so much.” Another wrote, “Boycott Underwood, wherever & whenever. Sorry Jimmy.”

Someone else responded, “Feel the same way about her,” as one Threads user commented, “Same!! I love Jimmy.. but , I can’t even look at her face.”

Grahn’s “obvious reasons” appear tied to Underwood’s decision to perform at President Donald Trump’s 2025 inauguration. The eight-time Grammy winner sang “America the Beautiful” a cappella during the swearing-in ceremony, a move that drew reaction from fans across the political spectrum.

At the time, Underwood explained she was “honored” to “be a small part” of the historic event, telling PEOPLE, “I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future.”

Underwood has also previously explained her approach to politics, or rather, her desire to stay out of it publicly. “I try to stay far out of politics if possible, at least in public, because nobody wins,” the eight-time Grammy winner told The Guardian in 2019. “It’s crazy. Everybody tries to sum everything up and put a bow on it, like it’s black and white. And it’s not like that.”

While Underwood has tried to keep politics at arm’s length, Grahn has done the opposite, using red carpets, award shows, and her social media presence to make pointed statements about the state of the country. Grahn famously toted a silver clutch emblazoned with “Democracy Dies In Silence” when she won at last year’s Daytime Emmy Awards.

“Along with this job comes a literal soapbox. Our democracy is worth fighting for,” the three-time Daytime Emmy winner said during her acceptance speech. “And whether you have a platform or not, now is the time guys. Now is the time to show up, stand up, speak up, stand up! Stand up! Stand up! Stand up and vote for it every chance you get.”

Grahn didn’t stop at Threads, either. Over the weekend, the Illinois native posted an explosive statement on Facebook that left little to interpretation.

The Illinois native blasted on Facebook Saturday, “I am so angry, sad, frustrated, weary and filled with loathing for Trump, [JD] Vance, [Stephen] Miller, [Kristi] Noem, [Gregory] Bovino, [Pam] Bondi, [Mike] Johnson, his billionaires, his KKKabinet, Fox ‘News,’ the Republican party and their sanctioned ICE army of terrorists and murderers that my teeth hurt. That is all I can come up with right now.”

Grahn has long been a vocal LGBTQIA activist and has portrayed headstrong lawyer Alexis Davis on “General Hospital,” and based on her latest remarks, she isn’t backing down from using her platform to call out what she sees as dangerous political moments.