✕
Your account
Privacy Policy Terms and Conditions
Already have an account?

Woman's World

SUBSCRIBE
Subscribe
Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions

See the Stars of ‘American Idol’ Then and Now

By Jaclyn Anglis
View gallery
jumper Laptop, 16 Inch FHD IPS 1200p Screen, 5305U Processor, 4GB RAM 128GB SSD, Office 365 1-Year Subscription, Windows 11 Computer with Numeric Keypad, Stereo Speakers, HDMI, WiFi.

Deal of the Day

Save 51% on This 16 Inch Laptop With 1200P Screen and 4GB of RAM! View Deal

The iconic show has gone out with a bang in its series finale, with performances from some of its beloved personalities. See what those famous faces look like today!

  1. Simon Cowell American Idol

    Splash News

    Simon Cowell, Season 1-9 Judge

    The 58-year-old is now a dad to a young son, Eric. Since being a judge on Idol, Cowell has starred as a judge on a number of other TV talent show competitions, including X Factor and Britain's Got Talent.

  2. Paula Abdul American Idol

    Splash News

    Paula Abdul, Season 1-8 Judge

    Now 55, the former Idol judge and pop singer recently went back on tour for the first time in nearly 20 years. Before getting back onstage as a singer, though, Abdul appeared as a judge on TV for other shows, such as So You Think You Can Dance.

  3. Randy Jackson American Idol

    Splash News

    Randy Jackson, Season 1-12 Judge

    Jackson, now 61, had the longest run as a judge on Idol, but he's now moved on to other things. He recently launched Starwest Production Studios, an all-in-one space for both music and video production.

  5. Ryan Seacrest American Idol

    Splash News

    Ryan Seacrest, Host

    Seacrest remained host of the show from season 1 straight through to the finale — and he has returned as a host after the brief hiatus. The 43-year-old is also a host of the nationally syndicated radio show ​On Air with Ryan Seacrest.​

  6. Adam Lambert American Idol

    Getty Images

    Adam Lambert, Season 8 Runner-Up

    The 36-year-old is now a successful singer-songwriter who has released three studio albums.

  7. Danny Gokey American Idol

    Getty Images

    Danny Gokey, Season 8 Finalist

    The 37-year-old, who touched hearts with the sad story of his wife passing shortly before he went on the show, has found happiness again with a new wife and has three beautiful kids with her.

  9. Kris Allen American Idol

    Getty Images

    Kris Allen, Season 8 Winner

    The 32-year-old is still a successful singer-songwriter, who has released five albums. He's also the proud dad of two kids.

  10. Brian Dunkleman American Idol

    Getty Images

    Brian Dunkleman, Season 1, Co-host

    The stand-up comedian and former co-host appeared on the show’s series finale and wrote all but one of his lines.

  11. Kelly Clarkson American Idol

    Getty Images

    Kelly Clarkson, Season 1 Winner

    As Idol’s first winner, Clarkson has had countless hit singles and continues to make music and win awards today. Now 35, the hardworking mom of four performed on the Idol series finale.

  13. Justin Guarini American Idol

    Splash News

    Justin Guarini, Season 1 Runner-Up

    Now 39, Guarini has lobbied for music education and has also dabbled in acting on Broadway.

  14. Ruben Studdard American Idol

    Getty Images

    Ruben Studdard, Season 2 Winner

    The 39-year-old R&B and Gospel singer is still performing music. He's also appeared on a few TV shows, including The Biggest Loser.

  15. Clay Aiken American Idol

    Getty Images

    Clay Aiken, Season 2 Runner-Up

    Now 39, Aiken is still singing, but he's also made a positive impact off stage by raising awareness for at-risk youth issues.

  17. Fantasia Barrino American Idol

    Getty Images

    Fantasia Barrino, Season 3 Winner

    The soul singer, now 33, is still singing and touring. She recently released her first Christmas album.

  18. Diana DeGarmo American Idol

    Getty Images

    Diana DeGarmo, Season 3 Runner-Up

    Still a singer and also now a Broadway performer, this 30-year-old enjoys both her musical career and a love-filled life with husband and fellow Idol alum Ace Young.

  19. Jennifer Hudson American Idol

    Getty Images

    Jennifer Hudson, Season 3 Finalist

    Between making music, movies, and even starring in a Broadway play, it's clear this talented 36-year-old is still putting her impressive pipes to good use.

  21. William Hung American Idol

    Getty Images

    William Hung, Season 3 Hopeful

    The accidental star of an off-key rendition of Ricky Martin's "She Bangs," Hung, now 35, got a new gig in law enforcement as a statistical analyst.

  22. Carrie Underwood American Idol

    Getty Images, Splash News

    Carrie Underwood, Season 4 Winner

    Named Billboard’s Country Music Reigning Queen, the award-winning performer married hockey player Mike Fisher in 2010, and had a son, Isaiah, in 2015.

  23. Bo Bice American Idol

    Splash News

    Bo Bice, Season 4 Runner-Up

    Shaggy-haired Bice has cleaned up nicely! The married dad of four has also started his own record label and still performs with his band, Blood, Sweat & Tears.

  25. Constantine Maroulis American Idol

    Splash News

    Constantine Maroulis, Season 4 Finalist

    Since coming in sixth on Season 4, Maroulis has found enormous Broadway success, starring in Rock of Ages, which earned him a Tony nomination.

  26. Taylor Hicks American Idol

    Splash News

    Taylor Hicks, Season 5 Winner

    The silver-haired country-soul singer has returned to TV to host a food and travel series, State Plate.

  27. Katherine Mcphee American Idol

    Splash News

    Katharine McPhee, Season 5 Runner-Up

    A runner-up on the fifth season, McPhee has released five albums but has also turned to acting, starring on TV shows including NBC hit Smash and CBS's Scorpion.

  29. Chris Daughtry American Idol

    Splash News

    Chris Daughtry, Season 5 Finalist

    Best known as lead vocalist for his band, Daughtry, the fourth-place contestant is the third most successful American Idol contestant in terms of record sales.

  30. Kellie Pickler American Idol

    Splash News, Getty

    Kellie Pickler, Season 5 Finalist

    This talented 31-year-old proved she could do more than sing in 2013, when she and partner Derek Hough won Dancing With the Stars.

  31. Jordin Sparks Then And Now

    Splash News

    Jordin Sparks, Season 6 Winner

    The youngest person ever to win Idol is still in her 20s, releasing albums, and performing. Sparks is also an ambassador for a nonprofit organization called Disabled American Veterans.

  33. Blake Lewis Then And Now

    Splash News

    Blake Lewis, Season 6 Runner-Up

    The beatboxer extraordinaire has released three albums and is still performing.

  34. Sanjaya Then And Now

    Splash News

    Sanjaya Malakar, Season 6 Finalist

    The most-talked-about contestant — despite less-than-stellar reviews from the judges — still sometimes plays music. During the summer of 2016, Malakar performed at free outdoor concerts in Washington.

  35. David Cook Then And Now

    Getty Images

    David Cook, Season 7 Winner

    Cook is now a married man who performs across the country.

  37. David Archuleta Then And Now

    Getty Images

    David Archuleta, Season 7 Runner-Up

    Archuleta has a massive social media presence and still tours around the country for his adoring fans.

  38. Jason Castro Then And Now

    Getty Images

    Jason Castro, Season 7 Finalist

    Now the married father of three girls, Castro started a band called Castro with his two younger siblings.

Tags:

Conversation

All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Woman's World does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.

Use left and right arrow keys to navigate between menu items. Use right arrow key to move into submenus. Use escape to exit the menu. Use up and down arrow keys to explore. Use left arrow key to move back to the parent list.