American Idol host Ryan Seacrest revealed his true feeling for judge Carrie Underwood after show fans called for her to be fired from the series.

On Wednesday, Ryan, 50, appeared on LIVE with Kelly and Mark to discuss his hosting gigs on Wheel of Fortune and American Idol.

Ryan Seacrest on LIVE with Kelly and MarkCredit: NBC

Fans have called for Carrie Underwood to be fired from American IdolCredit: ABC
Kelly, 54, asked her former LIVE co-host, “You’re down to the top three. Who do you like, if you had to… I know you can’t pick and I know you don’t want to influence things, but if you had to…”

Ryan then interrupted, “Pick one of the three?”

He then joked, “Carrie Underwood,” showing his respect for the former American Idol winner.

Ryan then said, “You’ve got three different contestants… and they all want it! These contestants all want to win.”

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He then said of when he announces winner, “It’s a special and lifechanging moment – for me too!”

Ryan praised judge Carrie on the talk show despite the backlashCredit: NBC

CARRIE BACKLASH

Ryan’s praise comes after Carrie has received harsh criticism from American Idol fans, as they have called for her firing from the ABC series.

On Monday, the Top 5 was cut to three, as Breanna Nix, Jamal Roberts and Slater Nalley were chosen to compete in next week’s finale.

Jamal, 27, performed Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s hit Ain’t No Mountain High Enough from the 2000 Disney sports film Remember the Titans.

But he received “harsh” criticism from judge Carrie, as she said, “I feel like you missed such an opportunity to move around and entertain.

“We are getting close to the end here, it is time to pull out all the stops.

“And we know you have that in you. So like pull us all in not just with your voice but everything else going on.

“Put 100 percent of yourself into it. Let’s go,” she added.

As for fellow judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, they gave him a standing ovation while Carrie remained in her seat

CARRIED AWAY?

Fans turned to social media to slam the judge for her “harsh” critique of the contestant.

One viewer commented on Instagram, “Please be fair and balanced in your feedback. All we as the viewers ask. In the most respectful way, we come to you.”

A second slammed. “You were out of line about Jamal tonight. Everyone gets to stand still, but he has to move around!! Really?”

A third wrote, “You know your comment for Jamal was not fair. Breanna stands still the whole performance, John stands still. What was the difference. That’s why the next time he performed the crowd shut you down with cheers.

“Remember you once was in there spot.”

A fourth fired, “Thought your criticism of Jamal for not ‘moving around’ was unfair, especially when you swooned over John when he sat in a chair for an entire song.”

A fifth then demanded, “She needs to be replaced next year!”

While a sixth said, “Your so unfair can’t stand your rudeness.”

BEHIND-THE-SCENES DRAMA

This comes after The U.S. Sun reported Carrie wasn’t the show’s first choice to replace former judge Katy Perry.

A source told The U.S. Sun, “They spoke with a handful of other A-list artists in pop and country before landing on Carrie.

“It was not a unanimous decision,” the insider added.

The U.S. Sun also revealed that the American Idol crew thinks Carrie’s “influence” is “ruining” the show’s legacy.

The singing competition, which Carrie won, tested out its first-ever faith-based episode on Easter Sunday.

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Carrie “pushed for” the faith-based episode despite there being a divide among the crew, as some staffers did not agree with the theme.

Although the three-hour special was popular among some, members of the crew felt it was “inappropriate.”

Carrie was slammed for her critique of Jamal RobertsCredit: Disney

Jamal performing on American IdolCredit: Getty