The 30 Most Successful ‘American Idol’ Contestants, from Carrie Underwood to Jennifer Hudson

• How he finished: Season 6 Runner-Up
• Net worth: $600,000
• Greatest achievement to date: single, “How Many Words,” hit number eight on the U.S. Billboard Dance/Club Play Songs chart

Lewis made waves on American Idol when, during Hollywood Week, he beatboxed Bee Gees’ “How Deep Is Your Love” alongside teammates Chris Sligh, Rudy Cárdenas and Tom Lowe. He ended up as the first contestant from the Northwest to reach the finale. (Lewis hails from Washington state.) Lewis’s cover of Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name” was the best-selling download of the show’s season.

After his stint on Idol, Lewis released four albums: A.D.D. (Audio Day Dream) (2008), Heartbreak on Vinyl (2009), Portrait of a Chameleon (2014) and Wanderlust Unknown (2020).

• How he finished: Season 11 Finalist, 7th Place
• Net worth: $1 million
• Greatest achievement to date: album, A Messenger, topped U.S. Christian and Gospel charts

Dixon had originally auditioned for Season 10 with his sister, Schyler, though neither made the cut. He then accompanied her to audition for Season 11, with no plans to audition himself. However, at the behest of the producers, Dixon sang David Cook’s “Permanent.” While he was a finalist, the singer was eventually cut, though many were shocked as he had never been ranked in the bottom three.

Today, Dixon has released four albums: A Messenger, Anchor, The Calm Before the Storm and Identity. A Messenger ranked at number 15 on the Billboard 200 and number one on the U.S. Christian and Gospel charts, while also being deemed a commercial and critical success. Singles from Anchor and The Calm Before the Storm also received accolades. He has also collaborated extensively with other artists, including fellow Idol contestant Jessica Sanchez, Christian artist TobyMac and Schyler.

• How she finished: Season 1 Finalist, 4th Place
• Net worth: $1 million
• Greatest achievement to date: Rain Walker in The Gospel (2005), Billboard Hot 100 for “I Believe”

After American Idol, Gray landed a record deal with Simon Fuller’s independent label, 19 Records. She released her first album, The Dreamer, in May 2004 and collaborated with Idol season one winner Kelly Clarkson on her song, “You Thought Wrong.”

As it turns out, Gray was a back-up singer on Jessica Simpson’s 2006 album, A Public Affair. She also co-wrote the songs “If You Were Mine” and “The Lover in Me.” But aside from her music endeavors, Gray also pursued a successful acting career, landing a recurring role in the Fox drama, Boston Public, and guest starring in shows like Half & Half, All of Us and Tru Calling. In 2004, she starred in Broadway’s Bombay Dreams as Priya and joined the cast of Rent as Mimi in 2005.

• How he finished: Season 14 Winner
• Net worth: $1 million
• Greatest achievement to date: Neil Diamond in Broadway production of A Beautiful Noise, winning Idol song, “Beautiful Life,” was 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup anthem

Prior to Idol, Fradiani was part of a popular pop/rock band called Beach Avenue. Following his win, his song “Beautiful Life” became a hit and was used as the official anthem for the FIFA 2015 Women’s World Cup. He then released his album, Hurricane, in 2016, and dropped his first EP in 2017.

In 2022, the singer made his Broadway debut with A Beautiful Noise, where he played the legendary Neil Diamond.

He told Broadway World, “After American Idol I went solo, and it’s kind of cool to get back into a team, camaraderie-type feeling like a musical gives you. I’ve become such close friends with everybody in this cast, the ensemble especially, the Swings, just to see how hard they work. That bond, you win together, you lose together, it’s like when you’re in a band and you have each other, you created something, and it’s special.”

• How he finished: Season 5 Runner-Up
• Net worth: $1 million
• Greatest achievement to date: starred as Joseph in the national tour of Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat

Did you know that Young (aka Diana DeGarmo’s husband) wrote the chorus for Daughtry’s “It’s Not Over”? That’s right. After his time on Idol, he released his single, “Scattered,” and played a few live shows, before penning the popular chorus, which earned him a Grammy nomination for songwriting.

Since then, he independently released his self-titled album in 2008 and appeared in shows like Bones and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Young also made his Broadway debut as Kenickie in the revival of Grease in 2008, then appeared in the Broadway revival of Hair.

• How she finished: Season 12 Winner
• Net worth: $1 million
• Greatest achievement to date: Billboard Hot 100 for “I Am Beautiful”

After making history as the first winner to audition three times before making it to the live shows, she released her debut album Music Speaks in 2014 and ventured into Broadway, making her debut in the musical Home for the Holidays in 2017.

Currently, she works as a music coordinator at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and she’s been quite vocal about the challenges she’s faced in her music career post-Idol. She told Rated R&B, “It’s a process to transition yourself from ‘I won American Idol’ and just scratch that sticker off your forehead and show the world “I’m an artist.’ When you’re on American Idol, you have to sing other people’s music. When you come out with something totally different, they can either love it or hate it. It can be nerve-wracking but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

• How she finished: Season 3 Winner
• Net worth: $1 million
• Greatest achievement to date: one of TIME’s 2024 most influential people, Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations

At just 20 years old, the talented singer won season three of American Idol. Since then, she’s released six studio albums and garnered 12 (yes, 12) Grammy nominations, winning Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for “Bittersweet.”

Barrino-Taylor also started a career in acting in 2007, when she landed the lead role of Celie in the Broadway musical, The Color Purple. She reprised the same role in the movie musical, which co-starred Ciara and Taraji P. Henson.

• How he finished: Season 4 Runner-Up
• Net worth: $1.5 million
• Greatest achievement to date: lead singer of Blood, Sweat & Tears

When Bice competed on Season 4 of American Idol, he had some tough competition, coming in second to none other than the Carrie Underwood. The musician had long been on the music scene as a solo act and in various bands, performing in night clubs.

After his stint on the show, Bice released The Real Thing through RCA records, before starting his own label, Sugar Money. Through the company, he produced two more albums, See the Light and 3. Additionally, he was the lead singer of the jazz rock group Blood, Sweat & Tears from 2013 to 2018.

• How she finished: Season 15 Runner-Up
• Net worth: $1.5 million
• Greatest achievement to date: single, “Battles,” debuted at 22 on the U.S. R&B singles chart

After the Mississippi native came in second place in season 15, she signed to Big Machine and Motown Records. Renae’s debut single, “Battles,” became the official song for the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Team at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and in 2017, she released her debut studio album, Already All Ready.

After dropping her single, “Solo,” in 2019, Renae went on hiatus and returned under a new stage name, “A.S.E.,” the following year. The songstress announced that she would publish a collection of seven autobiographical memoirs, releasing Meet Me on the Battlefield in June 2020. And in 2022, she released an independent four-part album series called The Odessy of Love.

• How she finished: Season 3 Runner-Up
• Net worth: $1.5 million
• Greatest achievement to date: starred in Broadway and off-Broadway productions

Following her time on American Idol, DeGarmo released two albums and two EPs, including her 2019 album, Gemini. But she also dabbled in musical theater, making her first big stage debut as Maria in a production of West Side Story in 2005. By the following year, she made her Broadway debut in Hairspray as Penny Pingleton. Other stage productions she has worked on include Brooklyn: The Musical, The Toxic Avenger, Jekyll & Hyde and Into the Woods.

Additionally, DeGarmo has ventured into TV and film, working on projects like The Young and the Restless, All About Christmas Eve and After the Sun Fell. (Oh, and fun fact, she’s currently married to season five’s American Idol finalist, Ace Young.)

• How he finished: Season 7 Runner-Up
• Net worth: $1.5 million
• Greatest achievement to date: debut album, Crush, ranked number two on Billboard 200

You might remember Archuleta’s chart-topping hits, like “Crush,” “A Little Too Not Over You” and “Something ’Bout Love” But the 33-year-old artist has already rolled out eight albums, including his latest, Therapy Sessions.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Archuleta released “Just Breathe” as a tribute to frontline workers, and in 2021, he published a children’s book called My Little Prayer. In the following year, the artist landed the starring role in his first-ever musical production, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, at the Tuacahn Center for the Arts in Utah.

• How he finished: Season 11 Winner
• Net worth: $1.5 million
• Greatest achievement to date: coronation song, “Home,” is the best-selling coronation song in Idol history

You’ll recognize his most popular singles, including “Gone, Gone, Gone” and “Home,” which made American Idol history as the best-selling song by any alum. After releasing his first studio album, The World from the Side of the Moon, in 2012, Phillips dropped three more albums, including Drift Back, which he released in 2023.

While discussing how his son influenced the music on his latest album, he told Atwood Magazine, “I’ve written a couple of things about him. Like the song, ‘Love Like That’ is about him and my wife, but having a kid also changes your relationship with your partner in amazing ways and in ways that you have to learn.”

Throughout his career, he has toured with musicians like John Mayer, Gavin DeGraw and the Goo Goo Dolls. Consider us impressed.

• How she finished: Season 11 Runner-Up
• Net worth: $2 million
• Greatest achievement to date: wrote song, “Stronger Together” for 2016 Democratic National Convention

Sanchez finished American Idol season 11 as the runner-up—but almost didn’t make it. She was eliminated in round 28 before the judges pulled a “Judges’ Save” card, allowing her to continue. In the end, she came second to winner Phillip Phillips.

Since then, Sanchez has performed extensively, including for the Obamas prior to the 2013 White House Easter egg hunt and the royal family of Brunei in 2019, while intermittently releasing covers and original music.

• How he finished: Season 2 Finalist, 4th Place
• Net worth: $2 million
• Greatest achievement to date: number one hit on Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts, “Nothin’ to Lose”

After landing in fourth place, the former marine kicked things off by releasing his self-titled debut album, which was certified gold in 2005. After this, he released two more albums, called We Weren’t Crazy and Redemption, and in 2017 he dropped an EP.

After a brief hiatus, the singer announced in 2022 that he’s working on new music. And last year, he released his latest single, “You’re on Fire.”

• How he finished: Season 7 Winner
• Net worth: $2 million
• Greatest achievement to date: 11 songs debuted on Billboard Hot 100 in the same week, beating record previously held by Miley Cyrus

Did you know that Cook originally had no intention of auditioning for Idol? The singer only tried out to support his brother, not knowing that he’d eventually be named the next winner.

After his victory, Cook’s debut single, “The Time of My Life,” peaked at number two on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 and sold over 1.4 million copies. His self-titled debut album also included two top 20 singles and was certified platinum by the RIAA.

The artist has released a total of four studio albums, and most recently, he dropped The Looking Glass in 2021. Cook also flexed his acting muscles by playing Charlie Price in the Broadway production of Kinky Boots in 2018.

• How she finished: Season 16 Finalist, 3rd Place
• Net worth: $3 million
• Greatest achievement to date: debut single, 2019’s “I Hope,” made her the first female country artist since Taylor Swift to hit number three; the single spent 25 weeks at number one on the Hot Country songs chart

Though she finished in third place on Season 16, Barrett’s resume is quite impressive. Her debut single, “I Hope,” was certified 7x platinum by RIAA, while Country Now proclaimed her the genre’s next big thing. Barrett followed the single with a debut album, Goldmine, in 2020, with nearly 16 million streams in the first week. This was the largest streaming week for a debut country album by a woman. In 2021, Barrett opened for Thomas Rhett on his Center Point Road Tour and the Zac Brown Band on their The Comeback Tour. At the 55th annual Country Music Association Awards, she was nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year, Single of the Year, Song of the Year and New Artist of the Year.

• How she finished: Season 5 Finalist, 9th Place
• Net worth: $3 million
• Greatest achievement to date: debut album, True Beauty, debuted number on on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart

After participating in Idol, Mandisa became a contemporary Christian artist and earned four Grammy Award nominations, winning an award in 2014 for Overcomer in the Best Contemporary Christian Music Album category. Other successful singles include “Only the World,” “God Speaking” and “Waiting for Tomorrow.”

The singer has a total of six albums under her belt and released her book, Out of the Dark: My Journey Through the Shadows to Find God’s Joy, in 2022. While discussing her book with Movie Guide’s Backstage Pass, she said, “My mindset in writing this is, I was always thinking about the person who was also struggling with depression, and maybe did not have a way to talk about it. I really wanted to give people a freedom and maybe a tool to introduce these uncomfortable conversations about our mental health”

Sadly, Mandisa passed away on April 18, 2024 at age 47. The cause of death, per People, was complications due to class III obesity.

• How he finished: Season 2 Winner
• Net worth: $3 million
• Greatest achievement to date: 2003 Grammy nomination for recording of “Superstar”

The 45-year-old singer captured hearts with his amazing vocals in 2003, and he has since released seven albums, including the certified gold I Need an Angel and his platinum-selling debut, Soulful. Studdard’s recording of “Superstar” also earned him a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.

Like many other contestants, the singer tried his hand at acting and appeared in shows like One on One, 8 Simple Rules and All of Us. And in 2018, he expanded to Broadway, making his debut in Ruben & Clay’s Christmas Show with fellow Idol contestant Clay Aiken.

• How he finished: Season 8 Winner
• Net worth: $3.5 million
• Greatest achievement to date: “Live Like We’re Dying”

After beating out Adam Lambert, Allen went on to release six albums and opened for artists like Maroon 5, Keith Urban, Lifehouse and Barenaked Ladies. In 2017, the singer also announced that he formed a band called The Dames, and they’ve released quite a few songs, including “The Death of Mr. Jones” and “Alright Now.”

Allen also devoted plenty of time to doing missionary work around the globe, traveling to places like Thailand, Mozambique and South Africa. While speaking with the magazine of his alma mater, University of Central Arkansas, he noted that college helped him develop a passion for it. He said, “At UCA, I figured out exactly who I was and who I wanted to be. I got involved in missionary work there and that really shaped me more than anything.”

He added, “In those trips, I found the core of who God is and who he is in relation to me. I got involved in the campus ministry, Chi Alpha, and through that, I got to see the world.”

• How she finished: Season 5 Finalist, 6th Place
• Net worth: $4 million
• Greatest achievement to date: Dancing with the Stars season 16 winner; debut album, Small Town Girl, certified gold by RIAA

Pickler may have finished in sixth place, but you couldn’t tell from her impressive career. The singer’s debut album, Small Town Girl, was certified gold by the RIAA, her second album spawned four hit singles and her latest release, The Woman I Am, peaked at number one on Billboard’s Independent Albums chart.

In 2013, Pickler and her partner, Derek Hough, won the sixteenth season of Dancing with the Stars, and from 2017 to 2019, Pickler joined comedian Ben Aaron to co-host their syndicated talk show, Pickler & Ben. Now, Pickler is the host of SiriusXM’s country music station, The Highway.

• How he finished: Season 2 Runner-Up
• Net worth: $4 million
• Greatest achievement to date: debut album, Measure of a Man, certified multi-platinum; fourth highest-selling Idol alumnus

The multihyphenate Idol alum released six albums, went on 11 tours, wrote a best-selling memoir, acted on Broadway and made several TV cameos, from Scrubs to The Office. 

But in 2013, Aiken ventured into politics. The gay rights activist ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in North Carolina’s 2nd congressional district, but he lost to Republican incumbent Renee Ellmers. And in 2022, he ran for the Democratic nomination in North Carolina’s 4th congressional district, but he lost in the primary to Valerie Foushee. Fortunately, Aiken’s singing career is going strong, and he even went on tour with his close pal and fellow contestant, Ruben Studdard.

• How he finished: Season 10 Winner
• Net worth: $4 million
• Greatest achievement to date: inducted into Grand Ole Opry in 2024

The tenth American Idol champion has been going strong ever since he won in 2011. After releasing his debut album, Clear as Day, which was certified platinum, the country singer dropped four more albums. His most recent release, Same Truck, included the single “You Time,” which topped the U.S. Country Airplay chart. So far, he has won an Academy of Country Music Award, a CMT Music Award, two American Country Awards and three BMI Country Awards.

Last year, the artist was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. While speaking with CMT about his career taking off at such a young age (he auditioned for Idol at just 17 years old), he said, “Most people get started at 30. When we do guitar pools or something, to be with a bunch of new artists and be the veteran in there, but also the youngest one there, too, it’s an interesting dynamic.”

• How he finished: Season 5 Finalist, 3rd Place
• Net worth: $6 million
• Greatest achievement to date: album, Elliott Yamin, certified gold

The Jewish-Israeli singer released a total of nine albums after coming in third place on the singing competition. You might recall hearing his biggest hits, “Fight for Love” and “Wait For You,” which landed on multiple charts in the U.S. And since then, Yamin has been keeping busy with tours and live shows, including the Special EFX Allstars Concert Series.

As it turns out, Yamin had no intentions of pursuing music before he tried out for Idol. In an interview with producer and editor Patty Nevadomski, he said, “I didn’t think I could do it. I didn’t want to try out for it. I had always been a fan of the show, it was just having the good fortune of having great friends around me and people who believed in me more than myself.”

• How he finished: Season 5 Finalist, 4th Place
• Net worth: $8 million
• Greatest achievement to date: rock band, Daughtry, was Nielsen SoundScan’s fastest-selling debut rock album in history

The North Carolina native skyrocketed to fame after competing on American Idol and forming his rock band, Daughtry. He currently serves as the band’s lead vocalist, and believe it or not, their first album became the fastest-selling debut rock album in Nielsen SoundScan history, according to Reuters. It also featured one of their most popular hit singles, “It’s Not Over,” which earned them a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Song.

Since then, the group has released five more albums and worked with musicians like Slash, Sevendust, Chad Kroege, Vince Gill and Carlos Santana. Daughtry also made a few TV appearances in shows like CSI: NY and Fox’s The Passion: Live.

• How she finished: Season 6 Winner
• Net worth: $8 million
• Greatest achievement to date: debut album RIAA-certified platinum, NAACP Image Award

She’s the youngest winner in Idol history, and her Grammy-nominated debut album sold over three million copies worldwide. The R&B singer released three more albums, a mixtape and four EPs, and  she toured with artists like Britney Spears, Alicia Keys, the Jonas Brothers and the Backstreet Boys. 

After releasing her second album, Sparks segued into acting, appearing in titles like Sparkle, God Bless the Broken Road and A Christmas Treasure. She also starred as Nina in the Broadway show In the Heights in 2010, and in 2019, she played Jenna in Waitress. 

Following a temporary break from music during the pandemic, Sparks revealed that she started to “fall in love with music again.” She told Hollywood Life, “The break was something that really helped me reconnect with it.”

• How she finished: Season 5 Runner-Up
• Net worth: $14 million
• Greatest achievement to date: Jenna in Broadway’s Waitress

The 40-year-old singer released six albums after competing on Idol, but she has also established an impressive acting career. The star is best known for playing Karen Cartwright in NBC’s Smash, but she also appeared in projects like Community, Scorpion, You May Not Kiss the Bride and The Tiger Rising. Most recently, she played Bailey in Country Comfort and appeared on The Masked Singer.

McPhee also made her Broadway debut in 2018, when she starred as Jenna Hunterson in the musical Waitress.

• How she finished: Season 3 Finalist, 7th Place 
• Net worth: $30 million
• Greatest achievement to date: youngest woman and third African American to win the EGOT

Although she wasn’t crowned the champion of American Idol, she did one better and accomplished the rare feat of winning all four of the major American entertainment awards. In case you missed it, Hudson made history as the youngest woman (and first American Idol alum) to reach EGOT status after scoring her first Tony Award for A Strange Loop. In addition to releasing three studio albums, J.Hud flexed her acting muscles in projects like The Secret Life of Bees, Respect and Dreamgirls, which earned her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

Hudson has also done work behind the scenes as an executive producer. And not surprisingly, the singer pulled an Oprah Winfrey and landed her own syndicated talk show in 2022, called The Jennifer Hudson Show.

• How he finished: Season 8 Runner-Up
• Net worth: $45 million
• Greatest achievement to date: Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance of “Whataya Want from Me”

The Grammy-nominated singer knew how to command the stage ever since he competed on Idol. After coming in second place in season eight, Lambert dropped five albums, with his first earning a Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. The “Whataya Want from Me” singer went on to collaborate with the rock band Queen, joining them for several tours from 2014 to 2023.

Now, in addition to pursuing music, he’s using his influence to give back. In 2020, Lambert founded the Feel Something Foundation, a non-profit that partners with several organizations to support the LGBTQ+ community. In February 2023, he released his fifth and most recent studio album, High Drama. Lambert will debut on Broadway in September 2024 as Emcee in Cabaret.

• How she finished: Season 1 Winner
• Net worth: $50 million
• Greatest achievement to date: 17 Grammy nominations and 3 wins

One of the most successful American Idol contestants of all time is undoubtedly Kelly Clarkson. The American Idol alum has been making headlines with The Kelly Clarkson Show, which has been going strong for five seasons. And apparently, she didn’t think it would be such a big success.

In an interview with Howard Stern, she said, “Honestly, I did not think the TV show was going to do anything. I did not think anything. I literally just made a deal with NBC because I loved doing The Voice and I literally didn’t think it was going to be what it is.”

Even before she launched her Emmy-winning talk show, Clarkson rolled out a number of catchy hits like “Since U Been Gone,” “My Life Would Suck Without You” and “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You).” The singer released ten studio albums ​​and sold over 25 million copies worldwide. Plus, she became the first-ever artist to top each of Billboard’s pop, adult contemporary, adult pop, country and dance charts.

Now, the powerhouse vocalist and TV host is a successful children’s book writer, having published River Rose and the Magical Lullaby and River Rose and the Magical Christmas. Clarkson also boasts five Daytime Emmy Awards, four American Music Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards and two Academy of Country Music Awards.

• How she finished: Season 4 Winner
• Net worth: $140 million
• Greatest achievement to date: 16 Grammy nominations, 8 wins

If numbers don’t lie, then the most successful American Idol contestant is definitely Carrie Underwood. My favorite country sensation has come a long way since she first auditioned in 2004. After Underwood was crowned the winner in season four, she went on to release nine successful studio albums, earning her eight Grammy Awards, 12 Billboard Music Awards and 17 American Music Awards. Additionally, the songstress made history as the highest-certified female country artist of all time, and to date, she has sold 70 million records worldwide. But that’s not all.

Aside from music, Underwood has also ventured into writing and fashion. She released her first book and New York Times best-seller, ç, in 2020. And in 2015, she founded her fitness clothing line, called CALIA by Carrie. I suddenly understand why her net worth is $140 million.