American Idol has produced some of the most famous celebrities we have today. But not all of them had to win to be successful and establish their names in Hollywood. Some of the finalists and runner-ups have become even more famous than the contestants who actually won the singing competition.
To this day we still don’t understand why these contestants didn’t win the competition, especially Adam Lambert and Tori Kelly. Tori won two Grammys and Adam was the first openly gay artist to be nominated for one. It doesn’t make any sense why they didn’t win, but at least their careers turned out to be a lot better than their time on Idol. Here are all of the stars who didn’t win American Idol, but became huge celebrities anyway.
10 Katie Stevens
Katie auditioned for American Idol in 2009 in Boston near her hometown, Middlebury, Connecticut. She was only 16-years-old at the time and she made it to the top 9, but was eliminated that round. Although her music career didn’t work out, that didn’t stop her from being successful in Hollywood. According to Gossip Cop, “From 2014 until 2016, she played Karma Ashcroft on the MTV rom-com series Faking It. And since 2017, she has been the lead actress on the Freeform comedy-drama The Bold Type.” She plays Jane Sloane, a writer at Cosmopolitan Magazine in NYC, on The Bold Type and has received multiple positive reviews from Vanity Fair, Vox, and Vulture.
9 Tori Kelly
Tori Kelly is one of the most successful singers who got their start on American Idol. She was on season 9 of the singing competition and she got to Hollywood, but didn’t make it past the top 24. She released the self-produced EP, Handmade Songs by Tori Kelly, in 2012 after her time on American Idol. It took her a few years to make it, but in 2015 she became a huge singing sensation with her debut album, Unbreakable Smile, which reached number two on the Billboard 200. She won two Grammys in 2019 as well for her second album, Hiding Place.
8 Todrick Hall
Todrick made his first appearance on season 9 of American Idol and showed his talent with his own song at his audition. He proved to everyone he was meant to be famous in that moment. He only reached the top 16, but became a YouTube star after he was eliminated and has had a huge career since then. According to Gossip Cop, “Hall has released three studio albums to date, including a holiday record, but he shows the most promise on stage. From 2016 to 2017, he performed in the Broadway musical Kinky Boots (the role was even offered without an audition.) And from 2017 to 2015, he played attorney Billy Flynn in Chicago.”
7 David Archuleta
Every American Idol fan knows David Archuleta’s hit song, “Crush.” Even though his song peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, he still didn’t win season 7. He was runner-up that season, but his career took off after that. According to Gossip Cop, “Archuleta has released a total of nine studio albums, his most recent being 2020’s Therapy Sessions. The single 'Just Breathe' was dedicated to frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and money earned from YouTube views was donated to the nonprofit organization Direct Relief.”
6 Katharine McPhee
Katharine was runner-up to Taylor Hicks on season 5 and even though she didn’t win, she became more successful than her competitor. She released her self-titled debut album in 2007 and her first single, “Over It”, reached number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100. Katharine became even more successful as an actress though. She’s starred in the TV shows, Ugly Betty, CSI: NY, Community, Smash, Scorpion, and the comedy movie, The House Bunny. She’s also a Broadway star and played the main character, Jenna, in the musical, Waitress.
5 Kellie Pickler
Kellie is a huge name in country music, but wasn’t successful until after she placed sixth on American Idol. “The North Carolina native, 34, has released four studio albums to date. Her debut, Small Town Girl, was certified Gold and boasts three singles that made it onto Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart,” according to Gossip Cop. She co-hosted the show, Pickler & Ben, as well from 2017 to 2019.
4 Clay Aiken
Clay is one of the original American Idol contestants and was the runner-up on season 2. That time on the show led to him becoming a huge celebrity. According to USA Today, “Aiken went on to release a number of albums and appear on TV shows (Drop Dead Diva, 30 Rock) and Broadway (Spamalot). He switched gears in 2014, winning the Democratic primary for a congressional seat in his native North Carolina before losing the general election.”
3 Chris Daughtry
Chris wasn’t even runner-up in season 5—he only placed fourth—but he became the most successful male contestant in the history of Idol. “In 2006, the aspiring rock star formed the band Daughtry. Their self-titled debut album instantly took the number one spot on the Billboard 200. It was certified Platinum a stunning six times and had four singles that made it into the top 20 on the Billboard 100,” according to Gossip Cop. Most recently, he competed on the second season of The Masked Singer in 2019 and was runner-up on that competition show too.
2 Adam Lambert
Adam was runner-up in season 8, but he didn’t let that get in the way of making a successful music career for himself. “For Your Entertainment, released in 2009, debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200. ‘Whataya Want From Me,’ one of its hit singles, earned him a 2010 Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Lambert’s second album, Trespassing, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, making him the first openly gay artist to earn the spot,” according to Gossip Cop. Not only did he make history with his albums, he also became a part of the legendary band, Queen, in 2011.
1 Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer placed seventh in season 3, but she made her name in Hollywood after she was eliminated. She became an Oscar-winning actress on top of winning a Grammy for her music. According to USA Today, “In her first film, Dreamgirls (2006), Hudson won a supporting-actress Oscar for a role that featured her electrifying performance of And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going. Hudson won a 2008 Grammy for best R&B album and stars in a Broadway revival of The Color Purple that opened late last year. She appeared recently in Fox's Empire and Spike Lee's Chi-Raq and will be seen in HBO's Confirmation.”