15 of the Most Successful People Who Were on 'American Idol': Kelly Clarkson, Adam Lambert and More (2024)

Though Adam Lambert finished as runner-up in Season 8 of American Idol, it didn't stop him from becoming an even bigger star in the music business.

Aside from launching his solo career, Lambert has collaborated with the rock band Queen and toured with them between 2014 and 2023. EW also unveiled the first look of his latest project, the new Megamind movie, after he was tapped to play the role of a former Megamind mentor named Machiavillain.

American Idol Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood launched her solo career with her chart-topping and record-breaking song, "Inside Your Heaven." As of press time, she has already released nine studio albums and dropped 22 No. 1 singles.

Underwood also made history by becoming the first female artist to win the Best Country Solo Performance at the Grammys with her 2013 single "Blown Away" and 2015 track "Something in the Water."

She will be holding shows across the country as part of Reflection Residency, including concerts in Honolulu in July.

Chris Daughtry ranked fourth on Season 5 of American Idol and pursued his career as a rock musician afterward. With his band, Daughtry, they became the group with the fastest-selling debut rock album in Nielsen SoundScan history.

The band released the track "Pieces," which shared the patriarch's grief after losing his daughter, Hannah Price — who died by suicide in November 2021 — and his mom.

He said, "It did a number on me and I think this song really deals with the things that those kinds of events in your life bring up in you."

"I don't think I'll ever be the same as I was before those events and I'm OK with that," Daughtry added. "I think that's kind of what this is about — we all go through [or] we're going to go through something that really shakes us and really rocks our world and shatters our reality. We can either let that destroy us or we can learn how to live with what's left."

From albums to tours, Clay Aiken has been successful in the music industry after finishing as runner-up in the show's second season. In addition, he debuted as an actor on Broadway and appeared in several TV shows.

Outside the entertainment industry, Aiken tried his luck in politics in 2013. He ran for the Democratic nomination in North Carolina's 4th congressional district in 2022 but ultimately lost.

Aiken has been touring with another American Idol alum: Ruben Studdard.

Elliott Yamin, who finished third during Season 5 of American Idol, released hit songs after joining the singing competition and dominated the charts with those tracks. The former pharmacy counter clerk previously told producer and editor Patty Nevadomski he initially did not plan on pursuing music.

"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," said Yamin.

Jennifer Hudson has successfully expanded her empire after her American Idol stint. Though she only ended up in seventh place, her name soon reached the theater, film and TV industry.

As a musician, she has released a total of three studio albums and 20 singles.

Hudson joined Dreamgirls cast in 2006 before appearing in more films and series, including S-- and the City, Winnie Mandela, Call Me Crazy: A Five Film, Monster, Baby Yaga and Tell It Like a Woman.

She will also appear in the upcoming film Breathe, along with Sam Worthington, Milla Jovovich, Common, Raúl Castillo and Quvenzhané Wallis.

Season 6 winner Jordin Sparks' career skyrocketed with her debut single, No Air. She has also launched her acting career, as she appeared in The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Sparkle.

In February, she expressed her desire to become Katy Perry's successor, as the "Last Friday Night" hitmaker announced her last season on American Idol.

"Oh hiiii @AmericanIdol — I hear a seat opened up at the judges table! I'm putting my name in the hat!" Sparks wrote on X.

Katharine McPhee, American Idol Season 5 runner-up, dropped her most recent studio album, Christmas Songs, with her husband, David Foster, in 2023. She marked her first film appearance in the 2007 flick The House Bunny and continuously appeared in more titles in the years thereafter.

The pair recently attended the Gateway Celebrity Fight Night event in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Despite not making it into the American Idol Season 5's top 10, Kellie Pickler became one of the most successful alums by launching her career in the music, TV and film industries. She co-hosted the CMT talk show Pickler & Ben and previously won Dancing With the Stars with Derek Hough.

On April 22, Pickler marked her first show in a Patsy Cline tribute at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium since the death of her husband, Kyle Jacobs.

"My husband and I actually wrote this song together, gosh, over a decade ago. The last time I was here in the Ryman Auditorium was with him on a date night, and I know he is here with us tonight," Pickler said, referring to her song, "The Woman I Am."

As one of the most successful American Idol alums, Kelly Clarkson enjoys her work as a TV personality, singer, songwriter and author. The first American Idol star has sold over 25 million records worldwide and headlined the accompanying tours for her albums.

Clarkson released her latest album, Chemistry, in 2023 while also hosting The Kelly Clarkson Show.

Season 8 winner Kris Allen has launched his solo career while collaborating with other musicians and bands like Keith Urban, Maroon 5 and Lifehouse. He also formed the band, The Dames, going on to release songs with his bandmates.

In March 2020, he dropped his album, Letting You, following a devastating car crash that made him think he might not be able to play guitar again.

"I mean, thank God nothing worse happened. My wife was in the car with our son, and it could've been so much worse," Allen told People. "You fight through things and get through them, and I'd like to say I'm a better person for it."

According to his Instagram page, Allen will visit states across the country as part of his 2024 shows.

After winning American Idol in 2011, Scotty McCreery released his debut album, Clear as Day, and shared more material in the years thereafter. His projects helped him win several awards from the BMI Country Awards, American Country Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards and CMT Music Awards.

On April 28, he appeared on the show and performed his breakup ballad "Cab in a Solo" before the release of his sixth studio album, Rise and Fall, in May.