In its nineteen seasons on television, American Idol has produced a wide range of musical talent that has included both first-place winners and runners-up. After being told by Simon Cowell that she would never be a successful singer, Jennifer Hudson went on to blow minds and eardrums with her Oscar-winning performance in Dreamgirls. Other Idol favorites, like Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, and Jordin Sparks, went on to release successful studio albums and even perform on Broadway.
Only two have reached the kind of worldwide fame that all aspiring artists dream of: Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. Clarkson was the very first Idol winner back in 2002, and her song “A Moment Like This” went on to become the bestselling single of 2002. Her first album, Thankful, was packed with hits like “The Trouble With Love Is,” “Miss Independent,” and “Beautiful Disaster,” and her second album, Breakaway, won her two Grammys and sold over 12 million copies. Songs like “Since U Been Gone” and “Behind These Hazel Eyes” made Clarkson even more of a pop sensation, paving the way for a long and fruitful musical career.
Over the years, Clarkson has sold over 25 million albums and won just about every kind of music award possible, from Grammys and American Music Awards to Daytime Emmy Awards for her talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show. She’s been a judge on the reality singing competition The Voice since 2018 and is even the author of two children’s books, River Rose and the Magical Lullaby and River Rose and the Magical Christmas.
What Is Kelly Clarkson’s Net Worth?
If you’re expecting to hear that Clarkson is worth hundreds of millions of dollars, you might be surprised to learn that she is actually worth $35 million. She has made over $100 million in her career to date and earns more than half a million dollars per episode of The Voice. Despite all of her success, Clarkson now faces a new challenge that will be affecting her yearly income.
In 2020, she filed for divorce from her husband, Brandon Blackstock, who later requested monthly child and spousal support from her. Although he demanded an outrageous $430,000 in child support alone, a judge later ordered her to pay $195K per month. This number might give the average person a heart attack, but it shouldn’t be too bad for Clarkson to manage, especially as she continues to work on television.
Is She The Richest Winner Of American Idol?
Unfortunately, Clarkson is not even close to being the wealthiest winner of the reality singing competition. Carrie Underwood, whose country music career exploded after she won season four of American Idol, is worth $140 million. Despite this enormous gap in their earnings, Clarkson is still the second-wealthiest winner of the show. Season three runner-up Jennifer Hudson is right behind her at $30 million.
Justin Guarini, who came in second place when Clarkson won and who co-starred with her in the universally-panned From Justin to Kelly, is worth $700 thousand. Hey, it’s better than nothing.