Social media is a confusing world of smoke and mirrors, sure, but we couldn’t help but notice something catching our eye through the fog: did Ariana Grande throw subtle shade at Carrie Underwood following the country’s star performance at the 2025 presidential inauguration? To be clear, we aren’t for pitting musicians against one another, particularly female musicians.But given the intense political divide and controversy surrounding Carrie Underwood’s performance, one can’t help but wonder if Grande knew what she was doing when she liked a mocking Instagram post. On the other hand, and we can’t stress this enough, maybe it’s not that serious after all.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DFDo-lkufQG/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=f486b923-c22a-49b8-b87d-81b48b85aeb7&ig_mid=2BC27E10-0379-41F4-8946-FFE698191BC9Writer and self-proclaimed “Sarah Michelle Gellar” historian Evan Ross Katz shared a photo of Harris standing behind Underwood with the caption, “Kamala Harris evoking Coco Montrese (“Girl, find the note”) watching Carrie Underwood at today’s chilling inauguration.” Katz was referring to drag queen Coco Montrese, who dropped that quote during a talking head on RuPaul’s Drag Race. Eagle-eyed Instagram users were quick to spot that pop star and Wicked actor Ariana Grande liked Katz’s post, leaving many to wonder if the former Nickelodeon star was throwing subtle shade at the country singer.

Was It Shade Or A Harmless Social Media Interaction?

People love to spin up a narrative about two musicians, especially women, disliking one another. In an effort not to do the same thing, let’s look at this from a different angle: Ariana Grande is a long-time fan of RuPaul’s Drag Race, even appearing as a guest judge in season 15. Coco Montrese, the drag queen Evan Ross Katz referenced in his Instagram post, was a season five alum of Drag Race. So, it stands to reason that a devoted fan like Grande would not only know who Montrese is but likely remember the episode where he delivered his iconic line for the first time.

Maybe Grande was laughing at the Drag Race deep cut. After all, the twisted expression on Harris’ face that Katz’s post references was a candid photo of the former vice president singing along, as Underwood requested before she began “America the Beautiful.” Or, maybe Grande’s reaction to the post was politically motivated. The pop star hasn’t often directly denounced President Donald Trump, but she has shown support for causes and publications that do. Underwood’s decision to perform at the inauguration certainly kicked up plenty of controversy.

Nevertheless, a heart reaction on an Instagram post is hardly a blazing gun. For that matter, Grande’s finger could have slipped. Whatever the reason for Grande’s reaction to the subtly shady post about Underwood, social media will make sure all of us common folk see it.