The name Carrie Underwood brings to mind chart-topping hits, powerful vocals, and that iconic Sunday Night Football theme song. But recently, her name has been making headlines for different reasons entirely. Legal disputes and lawsuit rumors have swirled around the country superstar, creating a whirlwind of confusion between fact and fiction.

Let’s dive deep into what’s really happening with these legal matters, separating verified court cases from internet rumors that have taken on a life of their own.

The Real Lawsuit: Sunday Night Football Copyright Dispute

While many people have been searching for information about various Carrie Underwood lawsuits, there’s one legitimate legal case that actually made it to federal court. This wasn’t about The View or political commentary—it was about music, copyright, and millions of football fans who hear that familiar tune every Sunday night.

The Story Behind “Game On”

Back in 2019, songwriter Heidi Merrill stepped forward with a bold claim that sent shockwaves through the entertainment world. Merrill assembled a songwriting team in 2016 to create a song called “Game On” as a follow-up to her Nebraska-themed football anthem “Cornhusker Strong.”

What happened next reads like something out of a Nashville drama. Merrill uploaded her “Game On” to YouTube in March 2017, and later pitched the song to Carrie Underwood’s producer Mark Bright at a Nashville conference in August 2017 for use as the “Sunday Night Football” theme. The pitch was rejected, but here’s where things get interesting.

The Federal Court Battle

The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York by songwriters Heidi Merrill, Alex Wong, Jeff Cohen and Niclas Lundin, who claimed they created a version of the Sunday Night Football theme song performed by Underwood.

The legal team didn’t mess around with their accusations. According to the lawsuit obtained by the Associated Press, Merrill and her songwriting team believed that Underwood used their version of the song they had written in 2016.

This wasn’t just a simple copyright claim—it involved major players in the entertainment industry. Merrill and the co-writers named Underwood, producer Mark Bright, NBC and the NFL as co-defendants in the lawsuit, along with music publishers Sony Corp. and Warner Music Group.

The Unexpected Resolution

Here’s what most people don’t know about this high-profile case: it quietly disappeared from the legal radar. Just under four months after filing, Heidi Merrill’s lawsuit had been quietly dropped. The lawsuit seeking unspecified damages against Underwood, Bright, NBC, the NFL, and others simply vanished from the court system.

Why did Merrill drop such a significant lawsuit? The details were never made public, leaving industry insiders to speculate about possible settlement agreements or legal advice that suggested the case wouldn’t succeed.

The Fictional Lawsuit: “The View” Controversy

Now let’s address the elephant in the room—the viral rumors about Carrie Underwood supposedly suing “The View” for hundreds of millions of dollars. This story has been circulating social media like wildfire, but here’s the truth: it’s completely fabricated.

What Really Happened with Joy Behar?

The rumors stem from real events that got twisted into false narratives. After Carrie Underwood announced she would perform at Donald Trump’s inauguration, she faced criticism from various media personalities, including Joy Behar from “The View.”

The criticism was real, but the legal response was not. Multiple reports debunked the lawsuit rumor, clarifying that Carrie Underwood was not suing the talk show. The rumor about Underwood suing ‘The View’ following Behar’s remarks is false, with no legal action taken and claims appearing to be driven by sensationalism rather than verified facts.

The Anatomy of a Fake News Story

What’s fascinating about this fake lawsuit story is how it demonstrates the modern information landscape. Carrie Underwood has no plans to pursue legal action against “The View,” and she hasn’t made a public statement about the comments at all.

Despite widespread rumors, there is no credible evidence that Carrie Underwood has filed an $800 million or $900 million lawsuit against “The View” or its hosts. These astronomical figures should have been the first red flag—entertainment lawsuits rarely reach such staggering amounts, even in legitimate cases.

Why These Rumors Spread So Quickly?

The speed at which false information travels today is truly remarkable. Social media algorithms favor engaging content, and nothing engages quite like celebrity controversy. The combination of Carrie Underwood’s massive fanbase, political tensions, and the dramatic nature of a supposed multi-million dollar lawsuit created perfect conditions for viral misinformation.

Professional fact-checkers and entertainment reporters had to work overtime to debunk these stories, but by then, the false narrative had already reached millions of people. It’s a perfect case study in how quickly fiction can masquerade as fact in our digital age.

Legal Implications and Industry Impact

Copyright Protection in the Music Industry

The legitimate Sunday Night Football lawsuit, while ultimately dropped, highlighted important issues about copyright protection in the music industry. Songwriters invest significant time, money, and creative energy into their work, and cases like this demonstrate the ongoing challenges of protecting intellectual property in an industry where similar chord progressions and melodies can emerge independently.

The case also showed how complex copyright disputes can become when they involve major corporations, television networks, and sports leagues. The number of defendants in Merrill’s lawsuit—from individual artists to massive media conglomerates—illustrates how interconnected the modern entertainment business has become.

The Cost of False Information

The fake lawsuit stories about “The View” reveal another kind of cost entirely. When false information spreads about celebrities, it can damage reputations, create unnecessary public relations challenges, and force artists and their teams to spend time and resources addressing fabricated controversies instead of focusing on their craft.

For Carrie Underwood, who has generally maintained a relatively private stance on political matters throughout her career, being thrust into a fictional legal battle represents exactly the kind of manufactured drama that many artists try to avoid.

What This Means for Fans and Media Consumers?

As consumers of entertainment news, we all have a role to play in stopping the spread of false information. The Carrie Underwood lawsuit rumors serve as a reminder to:

  • Verify sources before sharing: Always check if major news outlets are reporting the same story. If only social media accounts and questionable websites are promoting a story, that’s a red flag.
  • Look for official statements: Legitimate lawsuits generate official court documents and statements from representatives. The absence of these materials is often telling.
  • Consider the plausibility: Multi-hundred-million-dollar lawsuits against talk shows are extremely rare and would generate massive mainstream media coverage.
  • Check fact-checking websites: Organizations like Snopes, PolitiFact, and major news outlets regularly debunk viral misinformation.

The Real Story Behind the Headlines

When you strip away the sensational headlines and social media speculation, the real story of Carrie Underwood’s legal troubles is far more mundane than the rumors suggest. There was one legitimate copyright dispute that was resolved quietly, and there are ongoing fake stories that continue to circulate despite being thoroughly debunked.

This pattern isn’t unique to Carrie Underwood. Many celebrities find themselves at the center of manufactured controversies that exist primarily to generate clicks and social media engagement. The challenge for fans and media consumers is developing the skills to distinguish between legitimate news and fabricated drama.

Moving Forward: Lessons Learned

The contrast between the real and fake Carrie Underwood lawsuits offers valuable lessons about both the music industry and our information ecosystem. The legitimate copyright case demonstrates the ongoing challenges artists face in protecting their creative work, while the fake lawsuit stories highlight the dangers of viral misinformation in our digital age.

For Carrie Underwood herself, these experiences likely reinforce the wisdom of maintaining a relatively low profile when it comes to controversial topics. While she chose to perform at the presidential inauguration despite knowing it would generate criticism, she’s handled the aftermath with characteristic grace and professionalism.

The entertainment industry continues to grapple with both traditional challenges like copyright disputes and modern problems like viral misinformation. Artists, their teams, and their fans all have roles to play in navigating these complex waters.

As we consume entertainment news and celebrity content, remembering to approach sensational claims with healthy skepticism serves everyone’s interests. The truth is usually more nuanced and less dramatic than the headlines suggest, but it’s also more valuable than the fiction that often takes its place.

The next time you see a headline about a celebrity lawsuit that seems too outrageous to be true, take a moment to verify the facts. In the case of Carrie Underwood, separating truth from fiction reveals a much more interesting story about creativity, copyright, and the challenges of fame in the digital age.