Top 50 American Idol Contestants

Carrie Underwood was born on 10 March 1983 in Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA. She is a music artist and actress, known for Soul Surfer (2011), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010) and How I Met Your Mother (2005). She has been married to Mike Fisher since 10 July 2010. They have two children.

Kelly Brianne Clarkson was born on April 24, 1982 in Fort Worth, Texas and raised in Burleson, Texas to Jeanne Ann Taylor (née Rose), an English teacher & Stephen Michael Clarkson, an engineer. She was the first winner of the series American Idol in 2002. Kelly is also a strong believer in God.

Chris Daughtry was born on 26 December 1979 in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Wanderlust (2012), NCIS: Los Angeles (2009) and Criminal Minds (2005). He has been married to Deanna Daughtry since 11 November 2000. They have four children.

Diana DeGarmo, a country girl from Georgia and American Idol Season 3 Runner-Up just released her first real Country EP, "Live To Love", composed of songs she co-wrote with new fiancé Ace Young, that is digitally distributed through Jimmy Buffett's Mailboat Records. She has multiple Theatre credits including "Hairspray" & "HAIR" on Broadway and was just recently seen as Angelina Veneziano on the Number 1 Daytime TV Drama, "The Young & The Restless."

Danny Gokey was born on 24 April 1980 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for What About Love (2013), Walk. Ride. Rodeo. (2019) and Danny Gokey: New Day (2021). He has been married to Leyicet Gokey since 29 January 2012. They have four children. He was previously married to Sophia Martinez.

Adam Lambert is a Grammy-nominated international artist, actor, philanthropist, and LGBTQ+ activist.

As the first openly gay male artist to top the Billboard album charts, Adam has released five studio albums to date, amassing more than three million album sales worldwide-all while honoring the legacy of Freddie Mercury as the frontman of the iconic band, Queen.

Adam counts the British Royal Family among his fans. A personal invitation from HRH The Princess of Wales had him performing at last year's Royals: Together At Christmas and previously for HRH Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee, opening the show alongside Brian May and Roger Taylor.

Recent highlights include the release of Adam's latest top 10 charting album, High Drama, headlining London Pride, and showcasing his acting skills in Sofia Coppola's Fairyland, as well as the five-time Academy Award-winning film Bohemian Rhapsody.

Continuing his support for the LGBTQ+ community, Adam founded the Feel Something Foundation, a non-profit organization supporting LGBTQ+ human rights. The foundation raises funds and contributes to marginalized and underrepresented groups globally.

Adam continues to gain superstar momentum worldwide. This year, he will join the judging panel of The Voice Australia, work on his highly anticipated 6th Studio Album, and embark on a stadium tour across Japan after a successful North American tour with Queen last year. In 2024, Adam will release an ITV documentary exploring the LGBTQ+ experience within the music industry, featuring interviews with iconic musicians spanning multiple decades.

Siobhan Magnus was born on 15 March 1990 in Hyannis, Massachusetts, USA. She is known for The Eve (2015), American Idol (2002) and High Drama: Against All Oz (2008).

Lee DeWyze was born on 2 April 1986 in Mount Prospect, Illinois, USA. He is a composer and actor, known for Lee DeWyze: Fight (2014), American Idol (2002) and Station 19 (2018). He has been married to Jonna Walsh since 21 July 2012.

Casey James was born on 31 May 1982 in Plano, Texas, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for American Idol (2002), Teddy Pendergrass & Lisa Fischer: Glad to Be Alive (1990) and Urban Cowboy (2016). He was previously married to Kellie Lister.

Talented and feisty singer/actress/host and TV personality Mikalah Gordon is taking the entertainment scene by storm. Best known as the youngest contestant ever to make it to the top 11 on "American Idol" at 16 years old, Mikalah endeared herself to Idol fanatics and music moguls alike. During her tenure on the 4th season of "American Idol", Mikalah became known for her sassy demeanor and charismatic personality, as well as her powerful voice. Following her success on "Idol," Mikalah's no-holds-barred approach earned her a co-hosting spot for two seasons of Fox Reality's "American Idol Extra" followed by a request from Tyra Banks to come on board as a field correspondent for two seasons on "The Tyra Banks Show."

Continuing to branch out, Mikalah pursued her other first love: acting. She showed off her comedy chops in a recurring role alongside Fran Drescher on the WB sitcom "Living with Fran" and landed other notable appearances including guest spots on the CBS series "The Unit." Mikalah starred in CMT's hit music reality series "Gone Country 2" alongside fellow cast members Sebastian Bach of Skidrow, Jermaine Jackson, Chris Kirkpatrick of *NSYNC, Sean Young, Lorenzo Lamas and host John Rich, taking her singing, songwriting and fun-loving personality into the world of country music.

Growing up in Las Vegas, one of the entertainment capitals of the world, Mikalah was surrounded by glitz, glamour, and the performing arts and always knew she was headed for Hollywood. She performed at festivals, hotels, and anywhere she had the opportunity to strut her stuff. At the ripe age of 12, the Italian and Russian beauty was asked to travel to Washington D.C. to give a solo performance for President Bill Clinton. After singing for the Commander in Chief and lead roles in all of her high school plays, and being active in her high school cheer team as captain for two years, and playing soccer as a goalie for her high school team, Mikalah kicked things up a notch and decided to take the chance to go pro with her vocals, and show up to the open call audition for American Idol with hundred of other hopefuls. Her instant Idol success brought her to Los Angeles and she hasn't looked back since. Mikalah continues doing live shows and has been working for two years now with her charity, Little Kids Rock. LKR, who has been sponsored by Hard Rock Hotels and Resorts, helps bring music education into all the schools in the United States. This has given her the opportunity to perform with the bands 38 special, Night Ranger, Liberty Devitto who played drums for Billy Joel, Damon Johnson who plays for Alice In Chains, Rob Arthur the pianist for Five for Fighting, and Jim Peterik who is famously known for writing "Eye Of The Tiger".

Most recently, Mikalah just finished the US tour with the legendary band Starship, and released her very first rock single "Honey." 2014 also sees Mikalah getting back to her acting roots by starring in an upcoming feature film.

Haley Scarnato was born on 15 June 1982 in San Antonio, Texas, USA.

Katharine Hope McPhee Foster is an American singer-songwriter and actress. In May 2006, she was the runner-up on the fifth season of American Idol.

Her self-titled debut album was released on RCA Records on January 30, 2007, and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 381,000 copies (as of December 2010). The album's first single, "Over It", was a Pop Top 30 hit and was certified gold in 2008. Her second album, Unbroken, was released on Verve Forecast Records on January 5, 2010, and debuted at No. 27 on the "Billboard 200". The album featured the single "Had It All", which peaked at number 22 on the AC chart. It has sold 45,000 copies as of January 2011. Her third album, the holiday-themed Christmas Is the Time to Say I Love You, was released on October 12, 2010. The album debuted at number 11 on the Billboard Top Holiday Albums chart, while the single "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" peaked at number 16 on the "Billboard" AC chart. As of January 2011, this album had sold 23,000 copies. McPhee released her fourth album, Hysteria, on September 18, 2015. She released her fifth album, I Fall in Love Too Easily, composed of jazz standards, on November 17, 2017.

McPhee has also established an acting career, co-starring in The House Bunny and Shark Night 3D. She played Karen Cartwright, one of the lead roles on Smash. From 2014 to 2018, she starred in CBS' Scorpion as Paige Dineen.

Elliott Yamin was born on 20 July 1978 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for American Idol (2002), The Bold and the Beautiful (1987) and Twilight: The Story of Hope.

Kellie Pickler was born in Albemarle, North Carolina to Cynthia Morton and Clyde "Bo" Raymond Pickler, Jr. Cynthia left when Kellie was 2 but was then granted custody for two years. Kellie was returned to her grandparents at age 12. Her father was in and out of jail throughout her childhood and she was raised in Albemarle, North Carolina by her grandparents, who were big influences in her life. She has a half-sister named Courtney and two half-brothers, Eric and Michael; she has never met Michael. Kellie and Eric continued to live with their grandfather after their grandmother died of lung cancer in 2002. At North Stanly High School in New London, North Carolina, from which she graduated in 2004, she was a cheerleader and a beauty queen. In 2005 she tried out for American Idol (2002) and was sent to Hollywood. She sang many famous songs, including "Since U Been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson, "A Broken Wing" by Martina McBride, and "Blame it on the Sun" by Stevie Wonder. She was one of Simon's favorites, but was eliminated in the Final 6. Back in North Carolina she was given a key to the city on "Kellie Pickler Day", May 6, 2006. She then headed to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue her dreams. She was signed to 19 Recordings/BNA Records and wrote and sang many chart-toppers, including "Red High Heels", "I Wonder", "Things That Never Cross a Man's Mind", "Don't You Know You're Beautiful", "You Didn't Know How Much I Loved You", and "The Best Days of Your Life".

Ruben Studdard was born on 12 September 1978 in Frankfurt, West Germany. He is an actor and producer, known for American Idol (2002), Obsessed (2009) and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004). He is married to Kristin Moore. They have two children. He was previously married to Surata Zuri McCants.

Jordin Brianna Sparks was born on December 22, 1989 in Phoenix, Arizona and raised in Glendale, Arizona & Ridgewood, New Jersey. She was born to Jodi Beth Wiedmann & Phillippi Sparks. She rose to fame in 2007 after winning the sixth season of American Idol at age 17, becoming the youngest winner in the series' history. Her self-titled debut studio album, released later that year, was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and has sold over two million copies worldwide. The album spawned the Billboard Hot 100 top-ten singles "Tattoo" and "No Air"; the latter, a collaboration with Chris Brown, is currently the third highest-selling single by any American Idol contestant, selling over three million digital copies in the United States. The song earned Sparks her first Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. Sparks' second studio album, Battlefield (2009), debuted at number 7 on the Billboard 200 chart. Its title single reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Sparks the only American Idol contestant to have her first five singles reach the top 20 in the United States. The second single, "S.O.S. (Let the Music Play)", became Sparks's first number one on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. Throughout her career, Sparks has received numerous accolades, including an NAACP Image Award, a BET Award, an American Music Award, a People's Choice Award and two Teen Choice Awards. In 2009, Billboard magazine ranked her as the 91st Artist of the 2000s Decade. In 2012, Sparks was ranked at number 92 on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Women in Music". As of February 2012, she has sold 1.3 million albums and 10.2 million singles in the United States alone, making her one of the most successful American Idol contestants of all time.

Following the release of Battlefield, Sparks ventured into acting, pursuing television and Broadway. She made her stage debut as Nina Rosario in the musical In The Heights (2010), and her feature film debut as the titular character in Sparkle (2012). Sparks has also released several perfumes, including Because of You... in 2010 as well as Fascinate and Ambition in 2012. After a five-year absence from music, she released a mixtape, #ByeFelicia (2014), under a new record deal with Louder Than Life/Red Associated Labels, a joint deal with Sony Music Entertainment. Sparks' R&B-focused third studio album and most recent to date, Right Here Right Now (2015), saw smaller commercial success but received positive reviews from music critics.

Jennifer Kate Hudson was born on September 12, 1981 in Chicago, Illinois to Darnell Donerson (née Hudson) & Samuel Simpson. She is an Academy Award-winning actress, Grammy Award-winning recording artist and best-selling author. This bright, beautiful and booming-voiced talent is a perfect example of how NOT winning the title of American Idol (2002) can still be a superstar boon to your career and not the disappointment of a life time.

She earned minor attention as one of the twelve finalists on the third season of the FOX TV series in 2004, but finished an underwhelming sixth runner-up. Hudson grew up singing in gospel choirs, acting in community theater productions, singing on cruise ships and touring for in Disney's "Hercules: The Musical." With no formal musical training, her raw vocal power initially pleased the panel of Idol judges and she, Fantasia Barrino and La Toya London were initially promoted as the show's very own "Dreamgirls" and were expected to be the final three standing at the end of the competition. Surprisingly, all three were midway placed in the bottom group at one point, and Jennifer was cut from the pack. Fantasia eventually won the competition and, seemingly, all the glory and the fame.

Hudson appeared with the "American Idol" summer tour and performed on the road in concerts over the next two years. When it was time to audition for the coveted role of "Effie Melody White" in the long-awaited film version of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls (2006), among Jennifer's competition would be Fantasia herself. This time Jennifer was the winner and earned the right to play the coveted role. Immediately ordered to gain weight for the role, the film was loosely based on the real-life pursuits of The Supremes, with the character of Effie taking on the tragic form of the group's ill-fated co-founder Florence Ballard (1943-1976), but with a far less tragic ending.

Jennifer's performance became the most triumphant musical film debut since Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl (1968). Making the role her own, she delivered the same heart-breaking, gut-wrenching one-two punch that made Jennifer Holliday, who originated the role on stage, the toast of the Broadway scene in 1981. It was no easy task to outshine both Beyoncé and Eddie Murphy in one movie, but Jennifer was the movie's heart and soul and easily won over the critics. She went on to win not only the Oscar, Golden Globe, British Film, New York Film Critics and National Board of Review awards for "Best Supporting Actress," she picked up nearly every film critic's award there was to be had!

Hudson's meteoric rise made quite an impact in the world of music with the successful release of both her Sony/Arista Records albums. Her 2008 debut, self-titled record debuted at #2 on the "Billboard Hot 100" and won a Grammy Award for "Best R & B Album, and her sophomore album, "I Remember Me," also debuted at #2 and went on to win three awards at the 2009 NAACP Image Awards including "Best Album." Her third album, 2014's "JHUD," released by RCA, was a highly successful throwback to 70's inspired R&B.

Continuing to distinguish herself on the large screen, Jennifer began things off featured in the film version of Sex and the City (2008) with Sarah Jessica Parker. She then played the concerned daughter of compulsive gambler Forest Whitaker in the drama Winged Creatures (2008); earned a NAACP Image Award nomination for her moving effort in the tender drama The Secret Life of Bees (2008); portrayed Winnie Mandela opposite Terrence Howard's Nelson in the biopic Winnie Mandela (2011); co-starred with Whitaker again and Angela Bassett in the family Christmas drama Black Nativity (2013); co-starred as an amateur singer taken in by talent agent Adam Sandler in the romantic comedy Sandy Wexler (2017); appeared as Grizabella in the film version of the hit musical Cats (2019); and was given the opportunity to play the "Queen of Soul" herself, Aretha Franklin, in the biopic Respect (2021). Back in 2013, she was honored, at such a young stage, with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

On TV, Jennifer has played the recurring roles of Veronica Moore in the musical series Smash (2012) and Michelle White in the dramatic series Empire (2015). She also was given the distinction of playing and singing the role of Motormouth Maybelle in the live TV movie Hairspray Live! (2016).

As for other special live performances over the years, Jennifer was invited to sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl XLVIII in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009. It would be her first live performance since the October 24, 2008 family tragedy of losing mother Darnell and older brother Jason in a domestic shooting incident. In January of 2013, she was asked to perform at the Obama Presidential Inaugural Ball and in 2019, was invited to sing the nominated song "I'll Fight" from the movie RBG (2018), a documentary chronicling the life and career of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Honored at VH1's Do Something Awards for her charitable work and also the recipient of the Samsung Galaxy Impact Award at Variety's Power of Women luncheon with the Samsung Galaxy Impact Award, Jennifer, along with her sister Julia Hudson, founded The Julian D. King Gift Foundation in 2009, as a catalyst for change in children's health, education and welfare. The Foundation exists to provide stability, support and positive experiences for children of all backgrounds so that they will become productive, confident and happy adults.

Expanding her talents in the arts, Hudson added author to her list of accomplishments in January 2012 with the release her New York Times best-selling memoir, "I Got This: How I Changed My Ways, Found Myself and Lost Everything that Weighed Me Down."

David Cook is known for Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), Skyfall (2012) and The Dark Knight (2008).

Alexis Grace was born on 9 June 1987 in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. She is an actress, known for Trailer Park Boys: Out of the Park (2016), Bad, Bad Men (2016) and Jacir (2022).

Allison Iraheta was born on 27 April 1992 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress and composer, known for Lost Time (2014), The Short Game (2013) and Adam Lambert: If I Had You (2010).

Kris Allen was born on June 21, 1985 in Jacksonville, Arkansas, USA as Kristopher Neil Allen. He is best known as the winner for the eighth season of American Idol. In 2007, he released a album titled Brand New Shoes. He has been married to Katy Allen since September 26, 2008. They have three children.

Katie Stevens is known for Doga (2008) and Beauty and the Beat (2013).

Christina Christian was born on 21 June 1981 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Burn Notice (2007), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000) and Celia: The Queen (2008). She has been married to Nicholas Cewe since 2004. They have one child.

Michael Johns was born on 20 October 1978 in Perth, Western Australia, Australia. He was an actor and composer, known for The Vampire Diaries (2009), I Am (2010) and Ithuteng (Never Stop Learning) (2005). He was married to Stacey Vuduris. He died on 1 August 2014 in Tustin, California, USA.

Megan Joy was born on 5 August 1985 in Sandy, Utah, USA. She is an actress and composer, known for Breakdowns (2015), Rain Clouds (2015) and American Idol (2002). She has been married to Quinn Allman since 21 August 2011. She was previously married to ? Corkrey.