How Much Money These 15 American Idol Winners Have Today

There's little doubt about the impact that "American Idol" has had, both on television and on the music industry. The series launched the careers of many notable talents over the years, with tens of millions tuning in faithfully to see who would get crowned that season's Idol winner. The great thing about the show was that for the longest time, you need not even win to become a success. As long as contestants garnered enough fans during their season, they had the chance to sell albums, top the charts, and earn millions of dollars.

Speaking of "American Idol" winners specifically, fortunes greatly varied over the years. A few contestants saw success that keeps them as household names even to this day. Others, unfortunately, not only failed to catch on, but unless you were a big fan of the show, you may never have heard of them. With such differing fortunes, it's hard not to be curious about show winners and just how much money they have today.

Kelly Clarkson holds the distinction of being the very first "American Idol" winner. It's believed that as many as 22.8 million Americans tuned in to see her tearful rendition of "A Moment Like This," signaling the beginning of a decades-long music career. In the years since her landmark win, Clarkson would go on to sell 25 million albums and over 40 million singles worldwide. Her songs and albums enjoy multi-platinum status, and Clarkson herself is a three-time Grammy winner. In addition to her music success, Clarkson has hosted six seasons of her Emmy-winning daytime talk show, "The Kelly Clarkson Show."

Clarkson has recently had to weather the tough loss of ex-husband Brandon Blackstock, who passed following a long bout with cancer. Clarkson had stepped away from scheduled events as she mourned Blackstock's loss, though it's expected that Clarkson will return to film a seventh season of her daytime talk show. Thanks to the success she's enjoyed after winning "American Idol" back in 2002, Kelly Clarkson reportedly enjoys a net worth of about $50 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

Ruben Studdard won over "American Idol" voters with his smooth R&B vocals and lovable "teddy bear" personality. It seemed like things could go either way between him and runner-up Clay Aiken, but it would ultimately be Studdard crowned the Season 2 winner as a record-breaking 38 million Americans tuned in live.

At first, it seemed as though Studdard was destined to repeat the success of Kelly Clarkson. His song "Flying Without Wings" peaked at #2 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. His follow-up release, "Sorry 2004," didn't fly quite as high, tapping out at #9. Two years later, Studdard would try again with the single "Change Me," but the song would barely make an impact as it debuted at #94 and left the Hot 100 a week later. As of 2025, it's believed Ruben Studdard's net worth is about $1.5 million according to Celebrity Net Worth. Studdard is still active, performing a sold-out show at Detroit's Sound Board Theater.

"Free Yourself" singer Fantasia Barrino was expected to go far musically and financially after winning Season 3 of "American Idol." She's sold over 3.3 million albums, which should have put her on the path to long-term wealth and stardom. However, during an interview with People magazine, the singer admitted to severe financial troubles. "I didn't know anything about contracts," said Barrino. "I didn't know anything about checking your money and making sure every day your stuff was where it was supposed to be. I just trusted and believed everybody that came into my life." 

Like so many other music stars, Fantasia Barrino saw her fortune evaporate before her eyes. Despite selling millions of albums and appearing on Broadway, her net worth is rumored to be little more than $500,000, according to Celebrity Net Worth. After taking a step back from music to study business at Central State University, Barrino seems prepared to once again move forward with her music career. VIBE reports that as of 2025, she's planning to release a gospel album. Things seem to be coming full circle for Barrino, who debuted her new single "Have Your Way" on the "Idol" stage.

All things considered, Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood might be considered the most successful "American Idol" contestant in the show's history. Since winning, Underwood has gone on to sell over 85 million albums and released 28 chart-topping singles. The "Before He Cheats" singer has won numerous accolades, including eight Grammys. Underwood, who is an indisputable country music darling, has won more awards than any other woman in the genre's history. 

Overall, Underwood has enjoyed so much career success over the years that it is hardly surprising that her net worth, per Country Living, is reportedly $120 million. With money not being an issue, Underwood allegedly took a pay cut when she slotted in as a judge in the 23rd season of "American Idol." Time will tell whether Carrie Underwood and the rest of the Idol panel will be able to guide future contestants to career highs similar to her own.

Though Taylor Hicks was crowned the winner of Season 5, some view his victory as the beginning of the end for "American Idol" in terms of guaranteed long-term fame and financial earnings. Billboard reports Hicks managed to hit #1 on its Hot 100 with the ballad "Do I Make You Proud." Even so, his follow-up, "Takin' It To The Streets," peaked at #69 and marked his last appearance on the major music charts. It signaled that Hick's penchant for channeling old school music sounds, while popular on the show, wasn't enough to cross over into mainstream popularity.

Though his sound didn't catch on with a wider audience, Hicks does have a loyal following named the "Soul Patrol" that's stuck by him since his appearance on "American Idol." Hicks, who Celebrity Net Worth notes is thought to have a net worth of about $1 million, is still active musically, having released new music as recently as 2023.

Jordan Sparks won Season 6 of "American Idol" and though she released multiple hit singles around the time of her victory, the #1 spot on the Billboard charts continuously eluded the "Battlefield" singer. Sparks' most successful release to date was "No Air," a soulful pop duet with Chris Brown that peaked at #3 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. After an initial period of some success, her 2011 single, "I Am Woman," debuted at #84 and fell off the charts within a week.

Sparks would ultimately take a nine-year hiatus from music, returning in 2024 with her new album "No Restrictions." In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Sparks shared that she's grown "more selective" about her music choices and more mindful of the creation process. She also expressed gratitude for her husband, Dana Isaiah, and her son, Dana Isaiah Thomas Jr. Sparks, who continues to tour, is said to be worth about $8 million as of 2025, per Celebrity Net Worth.

If you watched Season 7 of "American Idol," you might recall that David Cook was hardly a frontrunner. He was arguably in danger of getting booted off the show before pulling out a stellar bluesy cover of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean." From that moment on, viewers were hooked, and Cook rode the wave of their goodwill to the finish line. Though Cook came out on top, it was at a point in the series where winning the show no longer guaranteed the massive success and attention enjoyed by some past winners.

While Cook had 15 songs land on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, his single "Time of My Life" would prove to be the only Top 10 hit, peaking at #3. Meet Minneapolis reports Cook sold over two million albums worldwide. As of 2025, it's believed that David Cook could be worth around $2 million, per Celebrity Net Worth.

Kris Allen walked away the winner of Season 8, though it was perhaps one of the most divisive outcomes since the Studdard vs. Aiken result back in Season 2. While Allen was able to secure a win over Top 2 rival Adam Lambert, his music career did not hit the immediate heights of past "American Idol" winners. Despite having his "No Boundaries" single penned by new judge Kara DioGuardi, the single missed out on the Hot 100 Top 10. DioGuardi referred to it as a "disaster," and while Allen would chart other songs, including a soulful cover of the Kanye West single "Heartless," it became very clear that Allen's "Idol" win wasn't giving his career the kind of traction necessary for a true breakthrough.

According to Billboard, Kris Allen ultimately parted ways with record label RCA in 2011. Even so, he continues to make music, releasing his album "Pole Vaulter" in 2024. Allen remains married to the love of his life, Katy O'Connell. As of 2025, it's believed the singer is worth an estimated $3.5 million as per Celebrity Net Worth.

Though Lee DeWyze won Season 9 of "American Idol," the most memorable aspect of this point in the series is that it marked the end of the road with judge Simon Cowell. Though Cowell would go on to enjoy success with reality TV shows "X-Factor" and "America's Got Talent," DeWyze would not be among the ranks of such successes despite his victory. Per the Hollywood Reporter, his debut album "Live It Up" would go on to sell 146,000 copies. Even so, DeWyze would ultimately be released by RCA in 2011.

Despite some setbacks, DeWyze continued to push through in his career, releasing a new album called "Gone For Days" in late 2024. As he shared in an interview for Lyndsanity, the new work was partially inspired by the painful and sudden loss of his long-time friend and manager, Brett Radin. Because Lee DeWyze hasn't had the career highs of past "American Idol" winners, it's believed per Celebrity Net Worth that his net worth doesn't exceed $500,000.

Though there seemed to be a downturn in the fortune of "American Idol" winners, Billboard shared that Season 10 champion Scotty McCreery enjoyed a record-breaking debut. McCreery became the first act in country music history to see his first studio album open at #1 on the Billboard 200 charts. Likewise, he was the youngest musician to do so at the age of 18. Perhaps the secret to McCreery's ability to hit the ground running, where several winners before him struggled, was that he was instantly liked by country music fans. This success led him to sell over four million albums globally. McCreery is also a proud member of the legendary Grand Ole Opry.

McCreery's reported net worth is said to be about $4 million per Celebrity Net Worth. While not as high as the most successful winners, McCreery's career hit a level of fame that would not be repeated by the "American Idol" winners that came after him.

Singer-songwriter Phillip Phillips would defeat runner-up Jessica Sanchez and win Season 11. Following his "American Idol" win, Phillips shared that he went on tour with John Mayer and Matchbox Twenty. He also had his single "Home" chosen as the coronation single at the 2012 Summer Olympics, a feat that saw the song go from #84 to #9 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Phillips has continued to tour each summer, though he shared in an interview with The Things We Love that he wanted to ensure that he was available to spend quality time with his wife and son. Said Phillips in the interview, "I don't like to be gone this much if I don't have to. So, I'll always try to figure out how much I can be gone and how much I want to be home. I love being home, so trying to figure it out is a constant thing." Phillips released the album "Drift Back" in 2024.

As per Celebrity Net Worth, it's believed Phillip Phillips is worth about $1.5 million.

When Candice Glover won Season 12 of "American Idol," she likely hoped her lead single "I Am Beautiful" would take her far. Unfortunately, the song failed to impress the public, peaking at #93 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart and leaving the chart altogether the following week. The song would mark her first and only run at the singles chart in the years since. It was a rough period for Glover, whose debut album underperformed due to lost pre-orders.

During a 2019 "Ask Me Anything" interview for Reddit's r/americanidol community, Glover shared that she was looking forward to making her Broadway debut, having successfully joined the cast of "Home For The Holidays."

Despite her sunny outlook, some wonder if Glover could have gone further in the music business if her season hadn't been overshadowed by the infamous feud between "Idol" judges Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Glover's net worth is reportedly $1 million.

Although rocker Caleb Johnson would ultimately win "American Idol" Season 13, he would go on to earn the unfortunate distinction of having been the only winner to have his coronation single fail to make any kind of impact on the Billboard Hot 100. If ever there was a sign of American Idol's waning influence on pop culture, the poor reception for "As Long as You Love Me" was definitely it. As for Johnson, he would go on to admit in an interview with Business Insider that he wasn't the biggest fan of the song. "I knew that...if you won, you had to sing the song, and the song was just utter crap," he said in the interview.

That wouldn't be the last of Johnson's music woes. In February 2025, he alerted his fans to the fact that, without explanation or warning, his label Interscope Records removed every song from his debut album, "Testify," from all streaming platforms. Just a few months later, Johnson endured a serious health scare due to a nasty infection. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Johnson is worth about $1 million.

If you were rooting for Season 14 winner Nick Fradiani to beat the odds and enjoy runaway success, the outcome was probably very disappointing. Fradiani did manage to have his coronation single "A Beautiful Life" briefly appear on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, peaking at #93 and immediately going away. Interestingly, it had a similar performance to Season 12 winner, Candice Glover. Ultimately, the single went nowhere as non-"American Idol" music listeners did not express interest in Fradiani, and American Idol viewers were no longer as eager to buy and stream music as in seasons past.

As disappointing a debut as this was, Fradiani showed himself to be resilient. He moved forward with his career aspirations, landing the role of music legend Neil Diamond in "A Beautiful Noise," the Broadway musical based on his life. It's noted via Celebrity Net Worth that Fradiani has a net worth of about $1 million.

Country singer Trent Harmon would have the unique distinction of being the last person to be crowned an "American Idol" winner on the show's originating network, FOX. Following his Season 15 win, the series was not renewed. After a lengthy hiatus, "Idol" returned via ABC.

As for Harmon, his debut song "Falling" missed the Hot 100, but managed to reach #33 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. His single "You Got 'Em All" very briefly charted on Billboard's Hot 100, rising to #60. Overall, Harmon could argue a slightly better charting success than previous Idol winners. However, it seems that by the end of his fateful season, there wasn't much money to be made for artists merely through associating with "American Idol."

As of today, there's no complete consensus on Trent Harmon's net worth. Some say he has at least $500,000. Harmon still performs, and reportedly has a booking fee ranging between $7,500 and $14,999.