The OG judges of American Idol were Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson, who were eventually joined by stars from Jennifer Lopez to Mariah Carey – and winner Carrie Underwood soared to fame
Chris Daughtry went on to form his successful rock band Daughtry, and Adam Lambert tours with legendary band Queen, while Jennifer Hudson achieved EGOT status – the youngest woman to ever do so
American Idol was an instant hit when it first debuted on Fox back in 2002. Hosted by Ryan Seacrest and based on the Pop Idol reality format from British television, the show was originally judged by Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson. Over the years, mega stars like Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and Ellen DeGeneres joined the judging panel before the show got cancelled in 2016. Fortunately, by 2018 the series made its highly anticipated comeback when its 16th season premiered on ABC with Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie acting as judges.
With the show’s 22nd season currently in full swing, we take a closer look at American Idol’s wealthiest contestants ever with the help of Celebrity Net Worth.
7. Chris Daughtry (season five)
Estimated net worth: US$8 million
Since taking part in American Idol, Chris Daughtry has joined the world of rock music instead. Photo: @chrisdaughtry/Instagram
After placing fourth on the fifth season of American Idol, singer Chris Daughtry became the lead vocalist and a guitarist of rock band Daughtry instead. Its 2006 debut album Daughtry reached No 1 on the Billboard chart, earning a Grammy nomination for best rock song with “It’s Not Over”.
6. Jordin Sparks (season six)
Estimated net worth: US$8 million
Jordin Sparks was the youngest winner of American Idol. Photo: @jordinsparks/Instagram
Jordin Sparks first rose to fame in 2007 during the sixth season of American Idol, becoming the youngest winner at age 17. Known for hits like “Tattoo” and “No Air”, Sparks has released four studio albums to date, and has starred in a variety of television films and reality shows like Dancing with the Stars and The Masked Dancer.
5. Katharine McPhee (season five)
Estimated net worth: US$14 million
Katharine McPhee recently released her own jewellery line, KMF Jewelry. Photo: @katharinefoster/Instagram
Despite being the season five runner-up, Katharine McPhee’s career quickly overshadowed winner Taylor Hicks. She’s gone on to release five studio albums and launched an acting career starring in films like The House Bunny and Shark Night 3D, and television shows including Smash and Scorpion. Her 2019 marriage to legendary record producer David Foster didn’t hurt her career either.
4. Jennifer Hudson (season three)
Estimated net worth: US$30 million
Jennifer Hudson, or JHud, only placed seventh on American Idol, but went on to achieve EGOT status. Photo: @iamjhud/Instagram
She placed seventh on the third season of American Idol, but that was only a glimpse of what was to come for the multitalented JHud. After receiving various accolades for her work in music, film, television and theatre over the years, Hudson became the youngest woman ever to achieve EGOT status in 2022. After releasing three studio albums during her career, she is now the host of her very own daytime talk show, The Jennifer Hudson Show.
3. Adam Lambert (season eight)
Estimated net worth: US$45 million
Adam Lambert’s second album saw him becoming the first openly gay artist to reach No 1 in North America. Photo: @adamlambert/Instagram
Best known for his theatrical performance style, Adam Lambert is undoubtedly one of the most flamboyant and recognisable stars to come out of the American Idol franchise. As the runner-up of season eight, Lambert went on to release five studio albums, even bagging a Grammy nomination for best male pop vocal performance. But it’s his work with legendary rock band Queen, who he’s performed and toured with since 2011, that’s taken his career to new heights.
2. Kelly Clarkson (season one)
Estimated net worth: US$50 million
John Legend and Kelly Clarkson; Clarkson won the first season of American Idol and went on to release hits such as “Breakaway”. Photo: AP
While many Idol contestants and even winners faded into obscurity over the years, that certainly hasn’t been the case for the show’s season one winner Kelly Clarkson. After releasing an impressive 10 studio albums that earned her 17 Grammy nominations and three wins, Clarkson dipped her toes back into reality TV as a coach on nine seasons of The Voice. These days, she’s racking up Daytime Emmy nominations for her variety talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, which is already in its fifth season.
1. Carrie Underwood (season four)
Estimated net worth: US$140 million
“Country music’s reigning queen” Carrie Underwood was the winner of the fourth season of American Idol. Photo: @carrieunderwood/Instagram
When Carrie Underwood walked away as the champion of American Idol’s fourth season in 2005, little did we know that she would become one of the biggest selling vocalists of all time. The country pop singer has released nine studio albums to date, bagging herself an impressive 16 Grammy nominations and eight wins. Once dubbed by Billboard magazine as “country music’s reigning queen” with over 85 million records sold worldwide, Underwood is by far the most successful and wealthiest contestant to come from the American Idol franchise.
