'American Idol': The Most Successful Contestants & Winners

Carrie Underwood was the Season 4 winner of American Idol  back in 2005. Shortly after her major career kick starter, she moved up through the music ranks with two major singles, "Jesus Take The Wheel" and "Before He Cheats" both released on her Debut Album "Some Hearts" (2005). Eventually she won three Grammys for that exact album. Since then she has been constantly releasing new music and is now considered one of the most successful country singers of this century. She is now currently married to professional NHL Hockey player Mike Fisher with whom she has 2 sons. 

Adam Lambert was the Season 8 winner of American Idol. He was definitely able to top his success on the show selling over 3 million albums and 5 million singles worldwide! One of his most famous singles was "Whataya Want From Me" for which he also received a Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. His third album The Original High debuted at number 3 on the U.S. Billboard Top 200 and produced his second smash hit "Ghost Town". Lambert was eventually able to collaborate with the rock band Queen and even went on a successful world tour with the group from 2014 until 2018.

Kelly Clarkson has had a wildly successful music career since her win in the first season of American Idol. Her debut single "A Moment Like This" topped the Billboard Top 100 and was the best selling country single of 2002. Shortly, she decided to change styles moving into a more pop rock genre. She has since then one smash hit after another including songs like "Since U Been Gone" and "Because Of You," which have earned her 2 Grammy awards over the years. Clarkson married talent manager Brandon Blackstock before divorcing him in 2022, and they have three kids together.

Jordin Sparks rose to fame after winning season 6 of American Idol at the tender age of 17, making her the youngest contestant to ever win. Her self-titled debut album featured smash hits like "Tattoo" and "No Air," a collaboration with R&B sensation Chris Brown, won her a Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. She topped off her debut success with her second studio album "Battlefield" in 2009. Over the course of her career she has accumulated dozens of awards including an American Music Award, a Teen's Choice Award, a People's Choice Award, a BET Award and many many more! Jordin has been married to Dana Isaiah Thomas since 2017 with whom she currently has a son.

Jennifer Hudson was one of the finalist of the third season of American Idol, ultimately placing 7th on the show. She used her fame that she gained to start her film career with her debut in Dream Girls (2006). She also appeared in Sex in the City (2008), The Secret Life of Bees (2008) and Black Nativity (2013). She also released her debut studio album in 2008 which received a Grammy for Best R&B album. Hudson also released later two more studio albums that both went gold.

William Hung became famous for his cover of "She Bangs" from Ricky Martin during the auditions for American Idol. He was studying civil engineering at UC Berkeley, but was convinced to pursue  music even though he lacked the talent. He decided to officially end his career in 2011 to take a job as a technical crime analyst for the Los Angeles County Sheriff´s Department. 

Taylor Hicks was the winner of American Idol in season 5. Throughout the course of his career he has released 2 independent albums, one of them is a self-titled album produced by 19 Entertainment. Not too much has been heard from the former American Idol winner since...

Ace Young is an American singer and songwriter who gained national recognition during his performance on the fifth season of American Idol. Post-Idol he wrote and starred in Broadway´s Hair and has even written songs for the likes of former AI stars like Chris Daughtry. He is currently married to season three winner Diana DeGarmo. 

Justin Guarini was American Idol´s first ever runner-up on the show. The icing on the cake was him and Kelly Clarkson starring in the infamously bad movie From Justin to Kelly. He made his Broadway debut in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (2010). Shortly, he starred in other productions including American Idiot, Wicked and Romeo and Juliet. Guarini is currently married to his childhood sweetheart, Reina Capodici. 

Scotty McCreery went home a champion during the 2011 season of American Idol when he was 17 years old. Since then, he has been widely successful with his debut album Clear As Day going platinum shortly after its release. After that McCreery released three more albums, all receiving mild success here and there. Even though he does his American Idol title justice, he is still working on making a name for himself in the music industry.