American Idol stars ranked by wealth: From Kelly Clarkson to Jennifer Hudson

Abi Carter has recently joined the list of American Idol winners, which includes stars like Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.
The 21-year-old from Indio, California, took home the title in season 22, beating out final contestants Will Moseley and Jack Blocker. She auditioned with Billie Eilish’s What Was I Made For?, and even received a video message from Billie during the finale.
Katy Perry has officially exited the show now that the most recent season is over, and fans are eager to learn her replacement. Maybe one of the past winners will come back to the show, or maybe it’ll be someone completely new.
Many of the former contestants are doing well for themselves, and some have even become household names. Style Magazine put together a list of the wealthiest American Idol stars from the past.
You may be more familiar with his last name, as that was the name of his rock band Daughtry, which released its first album in 2006. Chris placed fourth on season 5 of American Idol, and has grown to amass a net worth of $8 million.
The band’s song It’s Not Over earned a Grammy nomination for best rock song while the album titled Daughtry reached No. 1 on the Billboard Charts.
Tied with Chris, Jordin has a net worth of $8 million. When it came to season six of American Idol, however, there was no tying. She came in first, becoming the youngest winner at 17.
She’s known for hits like No Air and Tattoo. She’s also released four studio albums, and even was a contestant on season 31 of Dancing with the Stars.
Katharine McPhee and Chris competed against each other in season five, but she took the home second place title. Her career has spanned both music and acting, earning a net worth of $14 million.
She’s released five studio albums and starred in the Tony-nominated musical Waitress. She’s also known for the film The House Bunny and TV show Smash.
Jennifer Hudson’s fame has reached an all time high, some may forget she got her start on American Idol. She only placed seventh on the third season of the singing show, though she now has a net worth of $30 million.
She’s released three studio albums and even won a Grammy for Best R&B album. In 2022, she became the youngest EGOT winner, a title that goes to someone who’s won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. She even has her own daytime talk show, The Jennifer Hudson Show.
After finishing as the runner-up of American Idol season eight, Adam went on to release his debut album, For Your Entertainment. It placed No. 3 on the Billboard Charts, and even earned a Grammy nomination for the song Whataya Want From Me.
He now has a net worth of $45 million, which could partly be from his collaboration with the band Queen. He took on the role of frontman for the iconic band in 2011, and has performed with them on many occasions ever since. He cites Freddie Mercury as one of his influences.
Kelly Clarkson is very familiar with singing competition shows. She was the first ever winner of American Idol, going on to release 10 studio albums and earn 17 Grammy nominations. She has a net worth of $50 million.
In recent years, she’s been a judge on The Voice, using her background to help the contestants. She also has a daytime talk show called The Kelly Clarkson Show, which is on season five.
The country star won season four of American Idol, and has since become one of the biggest selling vocalists of all time. She has a net worth of $140 million with over 85 million records sold worldwide.
She’s released nine studio albums with 16 Grammy nominations and eight wins. She has made appearances in some movies and tv shows as well, including playing Maria in The Sound of Music Live.