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American Idol

American Idol is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to April 7, 2016, for 15 seasons. It was on hiatus for two years until March 11, 2018, when a revival of the series began airing on ABC.

American Idol
Also known asAmerican Idol: The Search for a Superstar
GenreReality competition
Created bySimon Fuller
Based onPop Idol
Directed by
  • Andy Scheer (2002)
  • Bruce Gowers (2003–2006, 2008)
  • Ken Warwick (2007, 2011–12)
  • Bill DeRonde (2009, 2014–15)
  • Gregg Gelfand (2010, 2013)
  • Louis J. Horvitz (2014)
  • Phil Heyes (2015–2016, 2018–present)
Presented by
Judges
Theme music composer
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons20
No. of episodes661 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Simon Fuller (2002–16)
  • Cecile Frot-Coutaz (2002–18)
  • Simon Jones (2002–03)
  • Nigel Lythgoe (2002–08, 2011–13, 2016 finale)
  • Ken Warwick (2002–13)
  • J. Brian Gadinsky (2002)
  • Charles Boyd (2009–16)
  • Trish Kinane (2013–)
  • Jesse Ignjatovic (2014)
  • Evan Prager (2014)
  • Per Blankens (2014–15)
  • David Hill (2015–16)
  • Megan Wolflick (2015–)
  • Jessica Castro (2016)
  • Jennifer Mullin (2018–)
  • Phil McIntyre (2018)
  • Chris Anokute (2019)
  • Brian Burke (2021–)
Running time22–104 minutes
Production companies
Release
Original network
  • Fox (2002–16)
  • ABC (2018–present)
Picture format
Original release
  • Fox:
    June 11, 2002 (2002-06-11) – April 7, 2016 (2016-04-07)
  • ABC:
    March 11, 2018 (2018-03-11) – present

It started as an addition to the Idols format that was based on Pop Idol from British television, and became one of the most successful shows in the history of American television. The concept of the series involves discovering recording stars from unsigned singing talents, with the winner determined by American viewers using phones, Internet, and SMS text voting. The winners of the first twenty seasons, as chosen by viewers, are Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze, Scotty McCreery, Phillip Phillips, Candice Glover, Caleb Johnson, Nick Fradiani, Trent Harmon, Maddie Poppe, Laine Hardy, Just Sam, Chayce Beckham, and Noah Thompson.

American Idol employs a panel of vocal judges who critique the contestants' performances. The original judges, for seasons one through eight, were record producer and music manager Randy Jackson, singer and choreographer Paula Abdul, and music executive and manager Simon Cowell. The judging panel for the last three seasons on Fox consisted of singers Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez, and Harry Connick Jr.[1] Season sixteen brought three new judges: singers Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan. The first season was hosted by radio personality Ryan Seacrest and comedian Brian Dunkleman, but Seacrest has been the sole host since the second season.

The success of American Idol has been described as "unparalleled in broadcasting history".[2] A rival TV executive said the series was "the most impactful show in the history of television".[3] It became a recognized springboard for launching the career of many artists as bona fide stars. According to Billboard magazine, in its first ten years, "Idol has spawned 345 Billboard chart-toppers and a platoon of pop idols, including Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry, Fantasia, Ruben Studdard, Jennifer Hudson, Clay Aiken, Adam Lambert, and Jordin Sparks while remaining a TV ratings juggernaut."[4] For an unprecedented eight consecutive years, from the 2003–04 television season through the 2010–11 season, either its performance show or result show was ranked number one in U.S. television ratings.[5]

History

 
Logo used for the original series

American Idol was based on the British show Pop Idol created by Simon Fuller, which was in turn inspired by the New Zealand television singing competition Popstars. Television producer Nigel Lythgoe saw a version in Australia and helped bring it over to Britain.[6] Fuller was inspired by the idea from Popstars of employing a panel of judges to select singers in audition. He then added other elements, including telephone voting by the viewing public (which at the time was already in use in shows, such as the Eurovision Song Contest), the drama of backstories, and real-life soap opera unfolding in real time.[7] Pop Idol debuted in Britain in 2001 with Lythgoe as showrunner‍—‌the executive producer and production leader‍—‌and Simon Cowell as one of the judges, and was successful with the viewing public.[8]

In 2001, Fuller, Cowell, and TV producer Simon Jones attempted to sell the Pop Idol format to the United States, but the idea was initially met with poor responses from all the television networks including Fox.[9] However, Rupert Murdoch, head of Fox's parent company, was later persuaded to buy the series by his daughter, Elisabeth, who had seen the British show.[9] Although Fox's executives wanted to change the format, Murdoch insisted that it should remain the same as the British one. One change was nevertheless made due to the presence of multiple time zones in the United States that made it impractical for the country to vote in the same time period, an additional half-hour results show was therefore added the day following the performance show.[10] The show was renamed American Idol: The Search for a Superstar and debuted in the summer of 2002. Cowell was initially offered the job of showrunner, but turned down the offer; Lythgoe then took over that position. Much to the surprise of Cowell and Fox, it became one of the biggest shows of the summer.[11][12] With its successful launch in the summer, the show was then moved to January and expanded.[13] The show grew into a phenomenon largely due to its personal engagement with the contestants by prompting the viewers to vote, and the presence of the acid-tongued Cowell as a judge. By 2004, it had become the most-watched show on U.S. television, a position it then held for seven consecutive seasons until 2011.[14][15]

However, after a few years of sharp declining ratings starting in 2012, with rating falls of over 20% each season,[16] the fifteenth season would be its last on Fox, ending its run in April 2016.[17] In May 2017, ABC acquired the rights to the series and the program returned for the 2017–18 television season.[18][19] The first season of the revived series, or the 16th season overall, started airing in March 2018.[20] Five seasons have been aired on ABC as of May 2022.[21]

Judges

The show had originally planned on having four judges following the Pop Idol format; however, only three judges had been found by the time of the audition round in the first season, namely Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell.[9] A fourth judge, radio DJ Stryker, was originally chosen but he dropped out citing "image concerns."[22] In the second season, New York radio personality Angie Martinez had been hired as a fourth judge but withdrew only after a few days of auditions due to not being comfortable with giving out criticism.[23] The show decided to continue with the three judges format until the eighth season. All three original judges stayed on the judging panel for eight seasons.

In the eighth season, Latin Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter and record producer Kara DioGuardi was added as a fourth judge. Abdul left the show in 2009 after the eighth season as a result of failing to agree to terms with the show producers.[24] Emmy Award-winning talk show host Ellen DeGeneres replaced Abdul for the ninth season, but left in 2010 after just one season.[25] DioGuardi was let go from American Idol in 2010 after two seasons as producers favored a return to the three-person judge panel previously used prior to DioGuardi's appearance on the show.[26] Cowell also left the show in 2010 to introduce the American version of his show The X Factor for 2011.[27] Jackson was the only judge from the ninth season to return for the tenth.

Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler joined the judging panel in the tenth season,[28] but both left in 2012 after two seasons.[29] Jackson was the only judge from the eleventh season to return for the twelfth. They were replaced by three new judges, Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj, and Keith Urban, who joined Jackson in the twelfth season.[30] However, both Carey and Minaj left after one season,[31] and Jackson departed the show after twelve seasons as a judge but would return as a mentor for the thirteenth season in 2014, after which he left the show permanently.[32][33]

Urban was the only judge from the twelfth season to return as a judge for the thirteenth season. Lopez returned to American Idol for the thirteenth season and was joined by former mentor Harry Connick Jr.[1] After this, Lopez, Urban, and Connick Jr. remained on the show until its' cancellation after the fifteenth season in 2016.[34][35]

Katy Perry,[36] Luke Bryan[37] and Lionel Richie[38] have served as the judges since the revival of American Idol began on ABC in 2018, marking the sixteenth season of Idol.[39]

Guest judges may occasionally be introduced. In the second season, guest judges such as Lionel Richie and Robin Gibb were used, and in the third season Donna Summer, Quentin Tarantino and some of the mentors also joined as judges to critique the performances in the final rounds. Guest judges were used in the audition rounds, Gene Simmons, LL Cool J, Brandy, Mark McGrath and Kenny Loggins in the fourth season, Carole Bayer Sager, Jewel, and Olivia Newton-John in the sixth season, Shania Twain, Neil Patrick Harris, Avril Lavigne, Mary J. Blige, Joe Jonas, Kristen Chenoweth, Victoria Beckham and Katy Perry in the ninth season and Adam Lambert in the fourteenth season.

Hosts

 
Brian Dunkleman co-hosted with Seacrest for the first season.

The first season was co-hosted by Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman following the format of Pop Idol of using two presenters. Dunkleman quit thereafter,[40] resulting in Seacrest becoming the sole host starting with the second season in 2003.

Seacrest has remained as sole host of American Idol ever since, with the exception of the two-year hiatus between 2016 and 2018 as well as April 8, 2019, when Bobby Bones subbed for Seacrest after the latter fell ill.[41] Dunkleman did, however, return for the initial series finale on Fox in 2016 as a guest.[42]

Cast timeline

  Host
  Co-host
  Judge
  Guest Judge
  In-House Mentor

Selection process

In a series of steps, the show selected the eventual winner out of many tens of thousands of contestants.

Contestant eligibility

The eligible age-range for contestants is fifteen to twenty-eight years old. The initial age limit was sixteen to twenty-four in the first three seasons, but the upper limit was raised to twenty-eight in the fourth season, and the lower limit was reduced to fifteen in the tenth season. The contestants have to be legal U.S. residents, can not have advanced to particular stages of the competition in previous seasons, and must not have held a current recording or talent representation contract by the semi-final stage[43] (in previous years by the audition stage).[44]

 
Season nine's Denver audition, at Invesco Field at Mile High.

Initial auditions

For the first eighteen seasons, contestants went through at least three sets of cuts. The first was a brief audition with a few other contestants in front of selectors which may include one of the show's producers. Although auditions can exceed 10,000 in each city, only a few hundred of these made it past the preliminary round of auditions. Successful contestants then sing in front of producers, where more may be cut. Only then can they proceed to audition in front of the judges, which is the only audition stage shown on television.[45] Those selected by the judges are sent to Hollywood. Between 10 and 60 people in each city may make it to Hollywood[citation needed].

From the nineteenth season onwards, contestants request a Zoom interview and audition remotely for the show's producers. If the audition goes well, they will then invite the contestants to audition in front of the judges, in one of the audition cities.[46]

Hollywood week

Once in Hollywood, the contestants perform individually or in groups in a series of rounds. Until the tenth season, there were usually three rounds of eliminations in Hollywood.[47] In the first round the contestants emerged in groups but performed individually. For the next round, the contestants put themselves in small groups and performed a song together.[48] In the final round, the contestants performed solo with a song of their choice a cappella or accompanied by a band‍—‌depending on the season. In the second and third seasons, contestants were also asked to write original lyrics or melody in an additional round after the first round. In the seventh season, the group round was eliminated and contestants may, after a first solo performance and on judges approval, skip a second solo round and move directly to the final Hollywood round.[49] In the twelfth season, the executive producers split up the females and males and chose the members to form the groups in the group round.

In the tenth and eleventh seasons, a further round was added in Las Vegas, where the contestants performed in groups based on a theme, followed by one final solo round to determine the semi-finalists.[50][51] At the end of this stage of the competition, 24 to 36 contestants were selected to move on to the semi-final stage. In the twelfth season the Las Vegas round became a Sudden Death round, where the judges had to choose five guys and five girls each night (four nights) to make the top twenty.[52] In the thirteenth season, the Las Vegas round was eliminated and a new round called "Hollywood or Home" was added, where if the judges were uncertain about some contestants, those contestants were required to perform soon after landing in Los Angeles, and those who failed to impress were sent back home before they reached Hollywood.[53] In the fourteenth season, the "Hollywood or Home" round was dropped, and a Showcase round was added, where the contestants performed at the House of Blues or auditorium for the judges and a live audience, and these performances determine who makes into the Top 24.[54] In the seventeenth and eighteenth seasons, the showcase round took place in Hawaii. In the nineteenth and twentieth seasons, a showstopper round was used.

Audience voting

From the semi-finals onward, the fate of the contestants is decided by public vote. During the contestant's performance as well as the recap at the end, a toll-free telephone number for each contestant was displayed on the screen. For a two-hour period after the episode ends (up to four hours for the finale) in each US time zone, viewers may call or send a text message to their preferred contestant's telephone number, and each call or text message was registered as a vote for that contestant. Viewers were allowed to vote as many times as they can within the two-hour voting window. However, the show reserves the right to discard votes by power dialers.[55] One or more of the least popular contestants may be eliminated in successive weeks until a winner emerges. Over 110 million votes were cast in the first season, and by the tenth season the seasonal total had increased to nearly 750 million. Voting via text messaging was made available in the second season when AT&T Wireless joined as a sponsor of the show, and 7.5 million text messages were sent to American Idol that season.[56] The number of text messages rapidly increased, reaching 178 million texts by the eighth season.[57] Online voting was offered for the first time in the tenth season. The votes are counted and verified by Telescope Inc.[58]

Semi-finals

In the first three seasons, the semi-finalists were split into different groups to perform individually in their respective night. In the first season, there were three groups of ten, with the top three contestants from each group making the finals. In the second and third seasons, there were four groups of eight, and the top two of each selected. These seasons also featured a wildcard round, where contestants who failed to qualify were given another chance. In the first season, only one wildcard contestant was chosen by the judges, giving a total of ten finalists. In the second and third seasons, each of the three judges championed one contestant with the public advancing a fourth into the finals, making 12 finalists in all.

From the fourth through seventh and ninth seasons, the twenty-four semi-finalists were divided by gender in order to ensure an equal gender division in the top twelve. The men and women sang separately on consecutive nights, and the bottom two in each groups were eliminated each week until only six of each remained to form the top twelve.

The wildcard round returned in the eighth season, wherein there were three groups of twelve, with three contestants moving forward – the highest male, the highest female, and the next highest-placed singer – for each night, and four wildcards were chosen by the judges to produce a final 13. Starting in tenth season, the girls and boys perform on separate nights. In the tenth and eleventh seasons, five of each gender were chosen, and three wildcards were chosen by the judges to form a final 13. In the twelfth season, the top twenty semifinalists were split into gender groups, with five of each gender advancing to form the final 10. In the thirteenth season, there were thirty semifinalists, but only twenty semifinalists (ten for each gender) were chosen by the judges to perform on the live shows, with five in each gender based on the vote and three wildcards chosen by the judges composing the final 13. In the fourteenth season, the top 24 performed at The Fillmore Detroit, starting with the 12 males on one night and then the 12 females on the next night. The following week, the same order went for the top 16, with four males eliminated, followed by four females based on the vote. Then, on the first night of finals, a similar sequence from the thirteenth season was used to determine the final 12, with five of each gender based on the vote and two wildcards chosen by the judges. In the fifteenth season, the top 24 performed at Cathedral of Saint Vibiana in Los Angeles and were split into two groups of twelve and performed twice, one being a solo performance and one being a duet with a former Idol contestant. In each group, the judges chose 7 contestants to advance to the top 14 where the judges chose 4 to advance to the top 10 and remaining 6 contestants were chosen based on the vote. In the sixteenth season, the top 24 performed at the Academy in the Heart of LA, and the show repeated the process from the previous season. However, instead of Idol alumnus as duet partners, superstar celebrity singers were used as the duet partners. In the seventeenth season, the show repeated the process again. However, instead of a top 24, it's a top 20, the contestants performed at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles, and performed solos in one episode, and performed the duets in two episodes. In the eighteenth season, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the top 20 performed at their homes, and based on the vote, half of the top 20 would advance to the top 10, and the other half would be eliminated. However, a wild card was given to one of the bottom 10 to save them from elimination.[59][60] In the nineteenth season, the show used a combination of the process from the sixteenth and fourteenth seasons. In the twentieth season, the show repeated the process from the previous season, but they used a top 20 instead of a top 16, and there were no all star duets.

Finals

The finals were broadcast in prime time from CBS Television City in Los Angeles, in front of a live studio audience (except the eighteenth season, due to the COVID-19 pandemic). The finals lasted eight weeks in the first season. From the second to ninth and fourteenth seasons, the finals lasted eleven weeks. The tenth and eleventh seasons lasted for twelve weeks, while the twelfth season lasted for ten weeks. In the thirteenth season, the finals lasted thirteen weeks. The finals lasted seven weeks in the fifteenth season, and six weeks in the sixteenth season. Each finalist performs songs based on a weekly theme which may be a musical genre such as Motown, disco, or big band, songs by artists such as Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley or The Beatles, or more general themes such as Billboard number-one hits or songs from the contestant's year of birth. Contestants usually worked with a celebrity mentor related to the theme. From the tenth to twelfth seasons, Jimmy Iovine was brought in as a mentor for the season. Initially the contestants sang one song each week, but this was increased to two songs from top four or five onwards, then three songs for the top two or three.

The most popular contestants are usually not revealed in the results show. Instead, typically the three contestants (two in later rounds) who received the lowest number of votes was called to the center of the stage. One of these three was usually sent to safety; however the two remaining were not necessarily the bottom two.[61] The contestant with the fewest votes was then revealed and eliminated from the competition. A montage of the eliminated contestant's time on the show was played and they gave their final performance (from the fourteenth season onward, the montage and the final performance were dropped). However, in the sixth season, during the series' first ever Idol Gives Back episode, no contestant was eliminated, but on the following week, two were sent home. Moreover, from the eighth season onwards, the judges may overturn viewers' decision with a "Judges' Save" if they unanimously agreed to. "The save" could only be used once, and only up through the Top 5. In the eighth to tenth and fourteenth seasons, a double elimination then took place in the week following the activation of the save, but in the eleventh and thirteenth seasons, a regular single elimination took place. The save was not activated in the twelfth season and consequently, a non-elimination took place in the week after its expiration with the votes then carrying over into the following week.

The "Fan Save" was introduced in the fourteenth season. During the finals, viewers were given a five-minute window to vote for the contestants in danger of elimination by using their Twitter account to decide which contestant will move on to the next show, starting with the Top 8.

Season finale

The finale is a two-hour episode which is always the last episode of the season, culminating in revealing the winner. For the first, third through sixth and fourteenth through fifteenth seasons it was broadcast from the Dolby Theatre, which has an audience capacity of approximately 3,400. The second-season finale took place at the Gibson Amphitheatre, which had an audience capacity of over 6,000. In the seventh through thirteenth seasons, the venue was at the Microsoft Theater, which holds an audience of over 7,000. Since the show's reboot on ABC, the venue remains the same throughout the entire show (excluding auditions). The eighteenth season finale was conducted virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rewards for winner and finalists

The winner usually receives a record deal with a major label, which may be for up to six albums,[62][63] and secures a management contract with American Idol-affiliated 19 Management (which has the right of first refusal to sign all contestants), as well as various lucrative contracts. All winners prior to the ninth season reportedly earned at least $1 million in their first year as winner.[63] At first the contract came with a $250,000-plus advance, but dropped to about $62,500 over the Fox years.[64] All the runners-up of the first ten seasons, as well as some of other finalists, had also received record deals with major labels. However, starting in the eleventh season, the runner-up may only be guaranteed a single-only deal.[65] BMG/Sony (first through ninth seasons), UMG (tenth through fifteenth seasons), and Disney Music Group's Hollywood Records (sixteenth through eighteenth seasons) had the right of first refusal to sign contestants for three months after the season's finale. In the fourteenth and fifteenth seasons, the winner was signed with Big Machine Records. Prominent music mogul Clive Davis also produced some of the selected contestants' albums, such as Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Fantasia Barrino and Diana DeGarmo. All top 10 (11 in the tenth and twelfth seasons, 5 in the fourteenth season, and 7 in the sixteenth season) finalists earn the privilege of going on a tour, where the participants may each earn a six-figure sum.[66]

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedWinnerRunner-upThird place
First airedLast airedNetwork
125June 11, 2002 (2002-06-11)September 4, 2002 (2002-09-04)FoxKelly ClarksonJustin GuariniNikki McKibbin
240January 21, 2003 (2003-01-21)May 21, 2003 (2003-05-21)Ruben StuddardClay AikenKimberley Locke
344January 19, 2004 (2004-01-19)May 26, 2004 (2004-05-26)Fantasia BarrinoDiana DeGarmoJasmine Trias
443January 18, 2005 (2005-01-18)May 25, 2005 (2005-05-25)Carrie UnderwoodBo BiceVonzell Solomon
541January 17, 2006 (2006-01-17)May 24, 2006 (2006-05-24)Taylor HicksKatharine McPheeElliott Yamin
641January 16, 2007 (2007-01-16)May 23, 2007 (2007-05-23)Jordin SparksBlake LewisMelinda Doolittle
742January 15, 2008 (2008-01-15)May 21, 2008 (2008-05-21)David CookDavid ArchuletaSyesha Mercado
840January 13, 2009 (2009-01-13)May 20, 2009 (2009-05-20)Kris AllenAdam LambertDanny Gokey
943January 12, 2010 (2010-01-12)May 26, 2010 (2010-05-26)Lee DeWyzeCrystal BowersoxCasey James
1039January 19, 2011 (2011-01-19)May 25, 2011 (2011-05-25)Scotty McCreeryLauren AlainaHaley Reinhart
1140January 18, 2012 (2012-01-18)May 23, 2012 (2012-05-23)Phillip PhillipsJessica SanchezJoshua Ledet
1237January 16, 2013 (2013-01-16)May 16, 2013 (2013-05-16)Candice GloverKree HarrisonAngie Miller
1339January 15, 2014 (2014-01-15)May 21, 2014 (2014-05-21)Caleb JohnsonJena IreneAlex Preston
1430January 7, 2015 (2015-01-07)May 13, 2015 (2015-05-13)Nick FradianiClark BeckhamJax
1524January 6, 2016 (2016-01-06)April 7, 2016 (2016-04-07)Trent HarmonLa'Porsha RenaeDalton Rapattoni
1619March 11, 2018 (2018-03-11)May 21, 2018 (2018-05-21)ABCMaddie PoppeCaleb Lee HutchinsonGabby Barrett
1719March 3, 2019 (2019-03-03)May 19, 2019 (2019-05-19)Laine HardyAlejandro ArandaMadison VanDenburg
1816February 16, 2020 (2020-02-16)May 17, 2020 (2020-05-17)Just SamArthur GunnDillon James
Francisco Martin
Jonny West[a]
1919February 14, 2021 (2021-02-14)May 23, 2021 (2021-05-23)Chayce BeckhamWillie SpenceGrace Kinstler
2020February 27, 2022 (2022-02-27)May 22, 2022 (2022-05-22)Noah ThompsonHunterGirlLeah Marlene
  1. ^ Owning to the production difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the finale had five contestants instead of three, and the three contestants who failed to place in the Top 2 finished in joint-third place.

Season synopses

Each season premieres with the audition round, taking place in different cities. The audition episodes typically feature a mix of potential finalists, interesting characters and woefully inadequate contestants. Each successful contestant receives a golden ticket to proceed on to the next round in Hollywood. Based on their performances during the Hollywood round (Las Vegas round from the tenth through twelfth seasons), 24 to 36 contestants are selected by the judges to participate in the semifinals. From the semifinals onward the contestants perform their songs live, with the judges making their critiques after each performance. The contestants are voted for by the viewing public, and the outcome of the public votes is then revealed during a results segment. The results segment feature group performances by the contestants as well as guest performers. The Top-three results also features homecoming events for the Top 3 finalists. The season reaches its climax in a two-hour results finale show, where the winner of the season is revealed.

With the exception of the first two seasons, the contestants in the semifinals onward perform in front of a studio audience. They perform with a full band in the finals. The current musical director is Kris Pooley, who has been with the show since the sixteenth season. In previous seasons, the American Idol band was led by Rickey Minor (fourth through ninth and thirteenth through fifteenth seasons) and Ray Chew (tenth through twelfth seasons). Assistance has also been given by vocal coaches and song arrangers, such as Michael Orland and Debra Byrd to contestants behind the scene. Starting with the seventh season, contestants may perform with a musical instrument from the Hollywood rounds onward. In later seasons, the contestants were allowed to perform with a musical instrument in the auditions. During the first nine seasons, performances were usually aired live on Tuesday nights, followed by the results shows on Wednesdays, but moved to Wednesdays and Thursdays from the tenth through thirteenth seasons. From the fourteenth season onward, there were no separate results shows. On the fourteenth season, the show aired on Wednesday nights, and on the fifteenth season, Thursday nights. From the sixteenth season onward, it aired on Sundays and Mondays.[citation needed]

2002–2016: Fox

Season 1

The first season of American Idol debuted as a summer replacement show in June 2002 on the Fox network. It was co-hosted by Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman. Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell served as judges.

In the audition rounds, 121 contestants were selected from around 10,000 who attended the auditions. These were cut to 30 for the semifinal, with ten going on to the finals. One semifinalist, Delano Cagnolatti, was disqualified for lying to evade the show's age limit. One of the early favorites, Tamyra Gray, was eliminated at the top four, the first of several such shock eliminations that were to be repeated in later seasons. Christina Christian was hospitalized before the top six result show due to chest pains and palpitations, and she was eliminated while she was in the hospital.[67] Jim Verraros was the first openly gay contestant on the show; his sexual orientation was revealed on his blog, however it was removed during the competition after a request from the show producers over concerns that it might be unfairly influencing votes.[68]

The final showdown was between Justin Guarini, one of the early favorites, and Kelly Clarkson. Clarkson was not initially thought of as a contender,[69] but impressed the judges with some good performances in the final rounds, such as her performance of Aretha Franklin's "Natural Woman", and Betty Hutton's "Stuff Like That There", and eventually won the crown on September 4, 2002.

In what was to become a tradition, Clarkson performed the coronation song during the finale, and released the song immediately after the season ended. The single, "A Moment Like This", went on to break a 38-year-old record held by The Beatles for the biggest leap to number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Guarini did not release any song immediately after the show and remains the only runner-up not to do so. Both Clarkson and Guarini made a musical film, From Justin to Kelly, which was released in 2003 but was widely panned. Clarkson has since become one of the most successful Idol contestants internationally,[70] with worldwide album sales of more than 25 million.[71]

Starting September 30, 2006, this season was repackaged as "American Idol Rewind" and syndicated directly to stations in the U.S.[citation needed]

Season 2

Following the success of the first season, the second season was moved up to air in January 2003. The number of episodes increased, as did the show's budget and the charge for commercial spots. Dunkleman left the show, leaving Ryan Seacrest as the lone host. Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell returned as judges. Kristin Adams was a correspondent for this season.[72]

Corey Clark was disqualified during the finals for having an undisclosed police record; however, he later alleged that he and Paula Abdul had an affair while on the show and that this contributed to his expulsion. Clark also claimed that Abdul gave him preferential treatment on the show due to their affair. The allegations were dismissed by Fox after an independent investigation.[73] Two semi-finalists were also disqualified that year – Jaered Andrews for an arrest on an assault charge, and Frenchie Davis for having previously modeled for an adult website.[74]

The season finale drew more than 38 million viewers, marking Idol's biggest audience ever for a single episode. Ruben Studdard emerged as the winner, beating Clay Aiken by a small margin. Out of a total of 24 million votes, Studdard finished just 134,000 votes ahead of Aiken. This slim margin of victory was controversial due to the large number of calls that failed to get through.[75] In an interview prior to the fifth season, executive producer Nigel Lythgoe indicated that Aiken had led the fan voting from the wildcard week onward until the finale.[76]

Both finalists found success after the show, but Aiken out-performed Studdard's coronation song "Flying Without Wings" with his single release from the show "This Is the Night", as well as in their subsequent album releases. The fourth-place finisher Josh Gracin also enjoyed some success as a country singer.[77]

Season 3

The third season premiered on January 19, 2004. Ryan Seacrest returned as host, and Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell returned as judges. One of the most talked-about contestants during the audition process was William Hung whose off-key rendition of Ricky Martin's "She Bangs" received widespread attention. His exposure on Idol landed him a record deal and surprisingly he became the third bestselling singer from that season.[78]

Much media attention on the season had been focused on the three black singers, Fantasia Barrino, LaToya London, and Jennifer Hudson, dubbed the Three Divas. All three unexpectedly landed on the bottom three on the top seven result show, with Hudson controversially eliminated.[79] Elton John, who was one of the mentors that season, called the results of the votes "incredibly racist".[80] The prolonged stays of John Stevens and Jasmine Trias in the finals, despite negative comments from the judges, had aroused resentment, so much so that John Stevens reportedly received a death threat, which he dismissed as a joke 'blown out of proportion'.[81]

The performance of "Summertime" by Barrino, later known simply as "Fantasia", at Top 8 was widely praised, and Simon Cowell considered it as his favorite Idol moment in the nine seasons he was on the show.[82] Fantasia and Diana DeGarmo were the last two finalists, and Fantasia was crowned as the winner. Fantasia released as her coronation single "I Believe", a song co-written by the first season finalist Tamyra Gray, and DeGarmo released "Dreams".

Season 4

The fourth season premiered on January 18, 2005. Ryan Seacrest returned as host, and Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell returned as judges. This was the first full season of the series to be aired in high definition; the finale of the third season was also aired in high definition. The number of those attending the auditions by now had increased to over 100,000 from the 10,000 of the first season. The age limit was raised to 28 in this season,[44] and among those who benefited from this new rule were Constantine Maroulis and Bo Bice, the two rockers of the show.

The top 12 finalists originally included Mario Vazquez, but he dropped out citing 'personal reasons'[83] and was replaced by Nikko Smith. Later, an employee of Fremantle Media, which produces the show, sued the company for wrongful termination, claiming that he was dismissed after complaining about lewd behavior by Vazquez toward him during the show.[84]

During the top 11 week, due to a mix-up with the contestants' telephone number, voting was repeated on what was normally the result night, with the result reveal postponed until the following night.

In May 2005, Carrie Underwood was announced the winner, with Bice the runner-up. Both Underwood and Bice released the coronation song "Inside Your Heaven", with Underwood's version of the song making her the first country artist ever to debut at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[85] As of 2015, Underwood has become the most successful Idol contestant in the U.S.,[70] selling 16 million albums in the country,[86] while selling a total of 65 million records worldwide.[87]

Season 5

 

The fifth season began on January 17, 2006. Ryan Seacrest returned as host, and Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell returned as judges. It remains the highest-rated season in the show's run so far. Two of the more prominent contestants during the Hollywood round were the Brittenum twins who were later disqualified for identity theft.[88]

Chris Daughtry's performance of Fuel's "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" on the show was widely praised and led to an invitation to join the band as Fuel's new lead singer, an invitation he declined.[89] His performance of Live's version of "I Walk the Line" was well received by the judges but later criticized in some quarters for not crediting the arrangement to Live.[90] He was eliminated at the top four in a shocking result.

On May 30, 2006, Taylor Hicks was named American Idol, with Katharine McPhee the runner-up. "Do I Make You Proud" was released as Hicks' first single and McPhee's was "My Destiny".

Despite being eliminated earlier in the season, Chris Daughtry (as lead of the band Daughtry) became the most successful recording artist from this season.[91] Other contestants, such as Hicks, McPhee, Bucky Covington, Mandisa, Kellie Pickler, and Elliott Yamin have had varying levels of success.

Season 6

The sixth season began on Tuesday, January 16, 2007. Ryan Seacrest returned as host, and Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell returned as judges. The premiere drew a massive audience of 37.3 million viewers, peaking in the last half hour with more than 41 million viewers.[92]

Teenager Sanjaya Malakar was the season's most talked-about contestant for his unusual hairdo,[93] and for managing to survive elimination for many weeks due in part to the weblog Vote for the Worst and satellite radio personality Howard Stern, who both encouraged fans to vote for him. However, on the Top 7 results, Sanjaya was voted off.[94]

This season saw the first Idol Gives Back telethon-inspired event, which raised more than $76 million in corporate and viewer donations.[95] No contestant was eliminated that week, but two (Phil Stacey and Chris Richardson) were eliminated the next.

In the May 23 season finale, Jordin Sparks was declared the winner with the runner-up being Blake Lewis. Sparks has had some success as a recording artist post-Idol.[citation needed]

This season also saw the launch of the American Idol Songwriter contest which allows fans to vote for the "coronation song". Thousands of recordings of original songs were submitted by songwriters, and 20 entries selected for the public vote. The winning song, "This Is My Now", was performed by both finalists during the finale and released by Sparks on May 24, 2007.[96]

Season 7

 

The seventh season premiered on January 15, 2008, for a two-day, four-hour premiere. Ryan Seacrest returned as host, and Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell returned as judges. The media focused on the professional status of the seventh season contestants, the so-called 'ringers',[97] many of whom, including Kristy Lee Cook, Brooke White, Michael Johns, and in particular Carly Smithson, had prior recording contracts.[98] Contestant David Hernandez also attracted some attention due to his past employment as a stripper.[99]

For the finals, American Idol debuted a new state-of-the-art set and stage on March 11, 2008, along with a new on-air look. David Cook's performance of "Billie Jean" on top-ten night was lauded by the judges, but provoked controversy when they apparently mistook the Chris Cornell arrangement to be David Cook's own even though the performance was introduced as Cornell's version. Cornell himself said he was 'flattered' and praised David Cook's performance.[100] David Cook was taken to the hospital after the top-nine performance show due to heart palpitations and high blood pressure.[101]

David Archuleta's performance of John Lennon's "Imagine" was considered by many as one of the best of the season. Jennifer Lopez, who was brought in as a judge in the tenth season, called it a beautiful song-moment that she will never forget.[102] Jason Castro's semi-final performance of "Hallelujah" also received considerable attention, and it propelled Jeff Buckley's version of the song to the top of the Billboard digital song chart.[103] This was the first season in which contestants' recordings were released onto iTunes after their performances, and although sales information was not released so as not to prejudice the contest, leaked information indicated that contestants' songs frequently reached the top of iTunes sales charts.[104]

Idol Gives Back returned on April 9, 2008, and raised $64 million for charity.[95]

The finalists were Cook and Archuleta. David Cook was announced the winner on May 21, 2008, the first rocker to win the show. Both Cook and Archuleta had some success as recording artists with both selling over a million albums in the U.S.[91]

The American Idol Songwriter contest was also held this season. From ten of the most popular submissions, each of the final two contestants chose a song to perform, although neither of their selections was used as the "coronation song". The winning song, "The Time of My Life", was recorded by David Cook and released on May 22, 2008.

Season 8

 

The eighth season premiered on January 13, 2009. Ryan Seacrest returned as host, and Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell returned as judges. This season featured the first major change to the judging panel, a fourth judge, Kara DioGuardi, was introduced. Mike Darnell, the president of alternative programming for Fox, stated that the season would focus more on the contestants' personal life.[105]

This was also the first season without executive producer Nigel Lythgoe who left to focus on the international versions of his show So You Think You Can Dance.[106] The Hollywood round was moved to the Kodak Theatre for 2009 and was also extended to two weeks. Idol Gives Back was canceled for this season due to the global recession at the time.

There were 13 finalists this season, but two were eliminated in the first result show of the finals. A new feature introduced was the "Judges' Save", and Matt Giraud was saved from elimination at the top seven by the judges when he received the fewest votes. The next week, Lil Rounds and Anoop Desai were eliminated.

The two finalists were Kris Allen and Adam Lambert, both of whom had previously landed in the bottom three at the top five. Allen won the contest in the most controversial voting result since the second season. It was claimed,[107] and then later retracted,[108] that 38 million of the 100 million votes cast on the night came from Allen's home state of Arkansas alone, and that AT&T employees unfairly influenced the votes by giving lessons on power-texting at viewing parties in Arkansas.[109]

Both Allen and Lambert released the coronation song, "No Boundaries" which was co-written by DioGuardi. This is the first season in which the winner failed to achieve gold album status.[110]

Season 9

 

The ninth season premiered on January 12, 2010. Ryan Seacrest returned as host, and Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi, and Simon Cowell returned as judges. Paula Abdul left the show and Ellen DeGeneres replaced Abdul at the start of Hollywood Week. One of the most prominent auditioners this season was General Larry Platt whose performance of "Pants on the Ground" became a viral hit song.[111]

Crystal Bowersox, who has Type-I diabetes, fell ill due to diabetic ketoacidosis on the morning of the girls performance night for the top 20 week and was hospitalized.[112] The schedule was rearranged so the boys performed first and she could perform the following night instead; she later revealed that Ken Warwick, the show producer, wanted to disqualify her but she begged to be allowed to stay on the show.[112]

Michael Lynche was the lowest vote getter at top nine and was given the Judges' Save. The next week Katie Stevens and Andrew Garcia were eliminated. That week, Adam Lambert was invited back to be a mentor, the first Idol alum to do so. Idol Gives Back returned this season on April 21, 2010, and raised $45 million.[95]

A special tribute to Simon Cowell was presented in the finale for his final season with the show. Many figures from the show's past, including Paula Abdul, made an appearance.

The final two contestants were Lee DeWyze and Bowersox. DeWyze was declared the winner during the May 26 finale. No new song was used as coronation song this year; instead, the two finalists each released a cover song – DeWyze chose U2's "Beautiful Day", and Bowersox chose Patty Griffin's "Up to the Mountain". This is the first season where neither finalist achieved significant album sales.[113]

Season 10

The tenth season premiered on January 19, 2011. Ryan Seacrest returned as host and Randy Jackson returned as a judge. Many changes were introduced this season, from the format to the personnel of the show. Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler joined Randy Jackson as judges following the departures of Simon Cowell (who left to launch the American version of The X Factor), Kara DioGuardi (whose contract was not renewed) and Ellen DeGeneres.[28]

Randy Jackson was the only judge from the ninth season to return for the tenth. Nigel Lythgoe returned as executive producer. Jimmy Iovine, chairman of the Interscope Geffen A&M label group, the new partner of American Idol, acted as the in-house mentor in place of weekly guest mentors,[28] although in later episodes special guest mentors such as Beyoncé, will.i.am and Lady Gaga were brought in.

The tenth season is the first to include online auditions where contestants could submit a 40-second video audition via Myspace.[114] Karen Rodriguez was one such auditioner and reached the final rounds.

One of the more prominent contestants this year was Chris Medina, whose story of caring for his brain-damaged fiancée received widespread coverage.[115] Medina was cut in the Top 40 round. Casey Abrams, who suffers from ulcerative colitis, was hospitalized twice and missed the Top 13 result show. The judges used their one save on Abrams on the Top 11, and as a result this was the first season that 11 finalists went on tour instead of 10. In the following week, Naima Adedapo and Thia Megia were both eliminated.

Pia Toscano, one of the presumed favorites to advance far in the season, was unexpectedly eliminated on April 7, 2011, finishing in ninth place. Her elimination drew criticisms from some former Idol contestants, as well as actor Tom Hanks.[116] After Idol, Jennifer Lopez helped guide her career.[117]

The two finalists in 2011 were Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery, both teenage country singers. McCreery won the competition on May 25, being the youngest male winner and the fourth male in a row to win American Idol. McCreery released his first single, "I Love You This Big", as his coronation song, and Alaina released "Like My Mother Does". McCreery's debut album, Clear as Day, became the first debut album by an Idol winner to reach No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 since Ruben Studdard's Soulful in 2003, and he became the youngest male artist to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200.[118]

Season 11

The eleventh season premiered on January 18, 2012. Ryan Seacrest returned as host and Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, and Randy Jackson returned as judges. One more finalist would join the Top 24 making it the Top 25, which was later revealed to be Jermaine Jones. However, on March 14, Jones was disqualified in 12th place for concealing arrests and outstanding warrants. Jones denied the accusation that he concealed his arrests.[119]

Finalist Phillip Phillips suffered from kidney pain and was taken to the hospital before the Top 13 results show, and later received medical procedure to alleviate a blockage caused by kidney stones.[120] He was reported to have eight surgeries during his Idol run, and had considered quitting the show due to the pain.[121] He underwent surgery to remove the stones and reconstruct his kidney soon after the season had finished.[122]

Jessica Sanchez received the fewest votes during the Top 7 week, and the judges decided to use their "save" option on her, making her the first female recipient of the save. The following week, unlike previous seasons, Colton Dixon was the only contestant sent home. Sanchez later made the final two, the first season where a recipient of the save reached the finale.

Phillips became the winner, beating Sanchez. During the finale, fifth season finalist Ace Young proposed marriage to third season runner-up Diana DeGarmo on stage – which she accepted.[123]

Phillips released "Home" as his coronation song, while Sanchez released "Change Nothing". Phillips' "Home" has since become the best selling of all coronation songs, with over 5 million copies sold.[124][125]

Season 12

The twelfth season premiered on January 16, 2013. Ryan Seacrest returned as host and Randy Jackson returned as a judge. Judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler left the show after two seasons. Randy Jackson was the only judge from the eleventh season to return for the twelfth. This season's judging panel consisted of Randy Jackson, along with Mariah Carey, Keith Urban and Nicki Minaj.

This was the first season since the ninth season to have four judges on the panel. The pre-season buzz and the early episodes of the show were dominated by the feud between the judges Minaj and Carey after a video of their dispute was leaked to TMZ.[126]

The top 10 contestants started with five males and five females, however, the males were eliminated consecutively in the first five weeks, with Lazaro Arbos the last male to be eliminated. For the first time in the show's history, the top 5 contestants were all female. It was also the first time that the judges' "save" was not used, the top four contestants were therefore given an extra week to perform again with their votes carried over with no elimination in the first week.

23-year-old Candice Glover won the season with Kree Harrison taking the runner-up spot. Glover is the first female to win American Idol since Jordin Sparks. Glover released "I Am Beautiful" as a single while Harrison released "All Cried Out" immediately after the show. Glover sold poorly with her debut album, and this is also the first season that the runner-up was not signed by a music label.[127]

Towards the end of the season, Randy Jackson, the last remaining of the original judges, would no longer serve as a judge to pursue other business ventures.[32] Both judges Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj also decided to leave after one season to focus on their music careers.[31]

Season 13

The thirteenth season premiered on January 15, 2014. Ryan Seacrest returned as host and Keith Urban returned as a judge. Urban was the only judge from the twelfth season to return as a judge for the thirteenth season. Randy Jackson returned, though Jackson moved from the judging panel to the role of in-mentor. Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj left the panel after one season. Former judge Jennifer Lopez and former mentor Harry Connick, Jr. joined Urban on the panel. Connick Jr. served as a mentor for Idol in 2010 and 2012.[128] Also, Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick were replaced as executive producers by Per Blankens, Jesse Ignjatovic and Evan Pragger. Bill DeRonde replaced Warwick as a director of the audition episodes, while Louis J. Horvitz replaced Gregg Gelfand as a director of the show.[129]

This was the first season where the contestants were permitted to perform in the final rounds songs they wrote themselves. In the Top 8, Sam Woolf received the fewest votes, but he was saved from elimination by the judges. The 500th episode of the series was the Top 3 performance night.[130]

Caleb Johnson was named the winner of the season, with Jena Irene as the runner-up.[131] Johnson released "As Long as You Love Me" as his coronation single while Irene released "We Are One".[132]

Season 14

The fourteenth season premiered on January 7, 2015. Ryan Seacrest returned as host, and Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick, Jr. returned for their respective fourth, third and second seasons as judges. Eighth season runner-up Adam Lambert filled in for Urban during the New York City auditions. Randy Jackson did not return as the in-house mentor and left the show permanently.[133] Scott Borchetta replaced Jackson as the mentor.

Changes this season include only airing one episode a week during the final ten.[134] Coca-Cola ended their longtime sponsorship of the show[135] and Ford Motor Company maintained a reduced role. The winner of the season also received a recording contract with Big Machine Records.

Nick Fradiani won the season, defeating Clark Beckham. Fradiani became the first winner from the Northeast region. Fradiani released "Beautiful Life" as his coronation single while Beckham released "Champion". Jax, the third place finalist, also released a single called "Forcefield".

Season 15

Fox announced on May 11, 2015, that the fifteenth season would be the final season of American Idol; as such, the season was expected to have an additional focus on the program's alumni. Ryan Seacrest returned as host, with Harry Connick Jr., Keith Urban, and Jennifer Lopez all returning as judges.[17] The fifteenth season premiered on January 6, 2016. The season was shortened by four weeks compared to previous years.[136] During the finale episode, President Barack Obama praised the millions of young people that voted for contestants and pitched that they vote in the upcoming election. The farewell season concluded on April 7, 2016. Seacrest signed off by saying: "And one more time—this is so tough—we say to you from Hollywood, goodnight America", and then he added, "for now."[137]

Trent Harmon won the season against runner-up La'Porsha Renae. Harmon released "Falling" co-written by Keith Urban as his coronation song.[138] Renae's "Battles", third-place finisher Dalton Rapattoni's "Strike A Match" and fourth-place finisher MacKenzie Bourg's "Roses" were also released as singles.[139][140]

2018–present: ABC revival

In early 2017, Variety reported that Fremantle Media was in talks to revive the show for NBC or for its original network, Fox.[141] A dispute between Fremantle and Core Media Group derailed these plans.[142] In May 2017, ABC was making a bid to revive the program.[143] ABC acquired the rights to the series, and American Idol returned for the 2017–18 television season.[144][145]

Season 16

The sixteenth season premiered on March 11, 2018.[20] This was the first season of American Idol to air on ABC. In July 2017, it was announced that Ryan Seacrest would return as host,[146] and by September 2017 it was revealed that Katy Perry,[36] Luke Bryan[37] and Lionel Richie would serve as judges.[38][147] The season was again shortened compared to the previous season to twelve weeks, with multiple elimination in the final rounds. Unlike previous seasons where only two finalists remained in the final episode, three finalists performed in the finale. On May 21, 2018, the season concluded with Maddie Poppe crowned the winner, beating Caleb Lee Hutchinson as runner-up and Gabby Barrett in third place. Her winning song was "Going, Going, Gone". Caleb Lee Hutchinson released "Johnny Cash Heart" as a single, while Gabby Barrett's song was "Rivers Deep".[148]

Season 17

ABC renewed the revival series for another season. Seacrest returned as host, and Bryan, Perry and Richie returned as judges.[149] The seventeenth season premiered on March 3, 2019. For the finale, the show no longer features separate performance and result shows. On May 19, 2019, the season concluded with three finalists, with Madison VanDenburg eliminated in third place after performing two songs, and the final two performing their last song. For the first time, there were no separate performance and grand finale shows this season. Laine Hardy was crowned the winner and Alejandro Aranda runner-up. Hardy released a single, "Flame", immediately after the win, but Aranda did not.[150][151] However, Aranda later released a song he performed in the finale, "Tonight", under the name Scarypoolparty on June 28, 2019.[152]

Season 18

On May 13, 2019, the series was renewed for an eighteenth season and premiered on February 16, 2020.[153][154] Seacrest returned as host, and Bryan, Perry and Richie returned as judges.[155] For the first time, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, from the top 20 to the finale, the contestants performed in their own homes, while Ryan Seacrest hosted the show remotely in his own home in Los Angeles with the judges also in their respective homes.[60][156] The season was also further truncated, with the top 5 performing in the finale. Each finalist also performed only two songs for the finale.[157] Just Sam was crowned the winner, with Arthur Gunn finishing as the runner-up.[158] "Rise Up", the song Just Sam performed for their audition and reprised on the finale, was released as their debut song.[159][160]

Season 19

On May 15, 2020, ABC renewed the series for a nineteenth season.[161] Seacrest returned as host, and Bryan, Perry and Richie returned as judges.[162] Later in October, it was announced that Bobby Bones will return as mentor. On November 10, they announced the season will premiere on February 14, 2021.[163] Chayce Beckham was crowned the winner, while Willie Spence finished as the runner-up. "23", the song Chayce Beckham wrote and performed for Top 4, was released as his debut song.[21]

Season 20

On May 13, 2021, ABC renewed the series for a twentieth season.[164] Seacrest returned as host, and Bryan, Perry and Richie returned as judges.[165] On December 2, they announced the season will premiere on February 27, 2022.[166] On December 31, it was announced that Bones would not be returning as a mentor.[167] Noah Thompson was crowned the winner, with HunterGirl finishing as the runner-up. "One Day Tonight", the song Noah Thompson performed for the Grand Finale, was released as his debut song.

Season 21

On May 13, 2022, ABC renewed the series for a twenty-first season.[168] In July 2022, it was announced that Seacrest would be returning as host and that Bryan, Perry and Richie would again be judges. On November 7, it was announced that Season 21 will premiere on February 19, 2023.[169]

Reception

U.S. television ratings

Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of American Idol. It holds the distinction of having the longest winning streak in the Nielsen annual television ratings; it became the highest-rated of all television programs in the United States overall for an unprecedented seven consecutive years,[170] or eight consecutive (and total) years when either its performance or result show was ranked number one overall.[5]

Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps.
Network Season Premiered Ended TV season Timeslot (ET) Season
viewers
Season
ranking
Date Viewers
(in millions)
Date Viewers
(in millions)
Fox 1[171][172][173] June 11, 2002 9.85 Final Performances: September 3, 2002 18.69 2001–02 Tuesday 9:00 pm
(performance)
12.22 N/A
Season Finale: September 4, 2002 23.02 Wednesday 9:30 pm
(results)
11.62 N/A
2[171][172][174] January 21, 2003 26.50 Final Performances: May 20, 2003 25.67 2002–03 Tuesday 8:00 pm
(performance)
21.03[175] 4
Season Finale: May 21, 2003 38.06 Wednesday 8:30 pm
(results)
19.63[175] 7
3[171][172][176] January 19, 2004 28.96 Final Performances: May 25, 2004 25.13 2003–04 Tuesday 8:00 pm
(performance)
25.73[177] 1
Season Finale: May 26, 2004 28.84 Wednesday 8:30 pm
(results)
24.31[177] 3
4[171][172][178] January 18, 2005 33.58 Final Performances: May 24, 2005 28.05 2004–05 Tuesday 8:00 pm
(performance)
27.32[179] 1
Season Finale: May 25, 2005 30.27 Wednesday 8:00 pm
(results)
26.07[179] 3
5[171][172][180] January 17, 2006 35.53 Final Performances: May 23, 2006 31.78 2005–06 Tuesday 8:00 pm
(performance)
31.17[181] 1
Season Finale: May 24, 2006 36.38 Wednesday 8:00 pm
(results)
30.16[181] 2
6[171][172][182] January 16, 2007 37.44 Final Performances: May 22, 2007 25.33 2006–07 Tuesday 8:00 pm
(performance)
30.11[183] 2
Season Finale: May 23, 2007 30.76 Wednesday 8:00 pm
(results)
30.58[183] 1
7[171][184][185] January 15, 2008 33.48 Final Performances: May 20, 2008 27.06 2007–08 Tuesday 8:00 pm
(performance)
28.80[186] 1
Season Finale: May 21, 2008 31.66 Wednesday 8:00 pm
(results)
27.81[186] 2
8[171][187][188] January 13, 2009 30.45 Final Performances: May 19, 2009 23.82 2008–09 Tuesday 8:00 pm
(performance)
26.25[189] 2
Season Finale: May 20, 2009 28.84 Wednesday 8:00 pm
(results)
26.77[189] 1
9[171][190][191] January 12, 2010 29.95 Final Performances: May 25, 2010 20.07 2009–10 Tuesday 8:00 pm
(performance)
22.97[192] 1
Season Finale: May 26, 2010 24.22 Wednesday 8:00 pm
(results)
21.95[192] 2
10[193][194][195] January 19, 2011 26.23 Final Performances: May 24, 2011 (Tues) 20.57 2010–11 Wednesday 8:00 pm
(performance)
25.97[196] 1
Season Finale: May 25, 2011 (Wed) 29.29 Thursday 8:00 pm
(results)
23.87[196] 2
11[197][198][199] January 18, 2012 21.93 Final Performances: May 22, 2012 (Tues) 14.85 2011–12 Wednesday 8:00 pm
(performance)
19.81[200] 2
Season Finale: May 23, 2012 (Wed) 21.49 Thursday 8:00 pm
(results)
18.33[200] 4
12[201][202][203] January 16, 2013 17.93 Final Performances: May 15, 2013 12.11 2012–13 Wednesday 8:00 pm
(performance)
15.04[204] 7
Season Finale: May 16, 2013 14.31 Thursday 8:00 pm
(results)
14.65[204] 9
13[205][206][207] January 15, 2014 15.19 Final Performances: May 20, 2014 (Tues) 6.76 2013–14 Wednesday 8:00 pm
(performance)
11.94[208] 17
Season Finale: May 21, 2014 (Wed) 10.53 Thursday 8:00 pm
(results)
11.43[208] 22
14[209][210][211] January 7, 2015 11.20 Final Performances: May 12, 2015 (Tues) 5.55 2014–15 Wednesday 8:00 pm
10.31[212] 41
Season Finale: May 13, 2015 (Wed) 8.03 Thursday 8:00 pm
(until March 12)
11.55[212] 28
15[213][214][215] January 6, 2016 10.96 Final Performances: April 6, 2016 9.70 2015–16 Wednesday 8:00 pm
(until February 24)
11.52[216] 19
Season Finale: April 7, 2016 13.30 Thursday 8:00 pm 11.13[216] 23
ABC 16[217][218][219] March 11, 2018 10.48 Final Performances: May 20, 2018 7.47 2017–18 Sunday 8:00 pm
9.57[220] 31
Season Finale: May 21, 2018 8.63 Monday 8:00 pm
(until April 23)
9.51[220] 32
17[221][222] March 3, 2019 8.65 Final Performances/Season Finale: May 19, 2019 8.74 2018–19 Sunday 8:00 pm 9.10[223] 32
Monday 8:00 pm
(until April 22)
8.00[223] 42
18[224][225] February 16, 2020 8.07 Final Performances/Season Finale: May 17, 2020 7.28 2019–20 Sunday 8:00 pm 8.34[226] 32
Monday 8:00 pm
(until March 23)
8.54[226] 30
19[227][228] February 14, 2021 6.95 Final Performances/Season Finale: May 23, 2021 6.50 2020–21 Sunday 8:00 pm 7.42[229] 25
Monday 8:00 pm
(until April 19)
6.24[229] 39
20[230][231] February 27, 2022 6.30 Final Performances/Season Finale: May 22, 2022 6.49 2021–22 Sunday 8:00 pm 7.29[232] 25
Monday 8:00 pm
(until May 2)
6.99[232] 28

American Idol premiered in June 2002 and became the surprise summer hit show of 2002. The first show drew 9.9 million viewers, giving Fox the best viewing figure for the 8.30 pm spot in over a year.[233] The audience steadily grew, and by finale night, the audience had averaged 23 million, with more than 40 million watching some part of that show.[234] That episode was placed third amongst all age groups, but more importantly it led in the 18–49 demographic, the age group most valued by advertisers.[12]

The growth continued into the next season, starting with a season premiere of 26.5 million.[171] The season attracted an average of 21.7 million viewers, and was placed second overall amongst the 18–49 age group.[235] The finale night when Ruben Studdard won over Clay Aiken was also the highest-rated ever American Idol episode at 38.1 million for the final hour.[236] By the third season, the show had become the top show in the 18–49 demographic[236] a position it has held for all subsequent years up to and including the tenth season, and its competition stages ranked first in the nationwide overall ratings. By the fourth season, American Idol had become the most-watched series amongst all viewers on American TV for the first time, with an average viewership of 26.8 million.[237] The show reached its peak in the fifth season with numbers averaging 30.6 million per episode, and this season remains the highest-rated of the series.[237]

The sixth season premiered with the series' highest-rated debut episode and a few of its succeeding episodes rank among the most-watched episodes of American Idol. During this time, many television executives begun to regard the show as a programming force unlike any seen before,[3] as its consistent dominance of up to two hours two or three nights a week exceeded the 30- or 60-minute reach of previous hits such as NBC's The Cosby Show. The show was dubbed "the Death Star",[92] and competing networks often rearranged their schedules in order to minimize losses.[3] However, the sixth season also showed a steady decline in viewership over the course of the season. The season finale saw a drop in ratings of 16% from the previous year. The sixth season was the first season wherein the average results show rated higher than the competition stages (unlike in the previous seasons), and became the second-highest-rated of the series after the preceding season.[236]

The loss of viewers continued into the seventh season. The premiere was down 11% among total viewers,[171] and the results show in which Kristy Lee Cook was eliminated delivered its lowest-rated Wednesday show among the 18–34 demo since the first season in 2002.[238] However, the ratings rebounded for the seventh-season finale with the excitement over the battle of the Davids, and improved over the sixth season as the series' third most watched finale. The strong finish of season seven also helped Fox become the most watched TV network in the country for the first time since its inception, a first ever in American television history for a non-Big Three major broadcast network.[239] Overall ratings for the season were down 10% from the sixth season,[240] which is in line with the fall in viewership across all networks due in part to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike.[241]

The declining trend however continued into the eighth season, as total viewers numbers fell by 5–10% for early episodes compared to the seventh season,[242] and by 9% for the finale.[172] In the ninth season, Idol's six-year extended streak of perfection in the ratings was broken, when NBC's coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics on February 17 beat Idol in the same time slot with 30.1 million viewers over Idol's 18.4 million.[243] Nevertheless, American Idol overall finished its ninth season as the most watched TV series for the sixth year running, breaking the previous record of five consecutive seasons achieved by CBS' All in the Family and NBC's The Cosby Show.[244]

In the tenth season, the total viewer numbers for the first week of shows fell 12–13%, and by up to 23% in the 18–49 demo compared to the ninth season.[193] Later episodes, however, retained viewers better, and the season ended on a high with a significant increase in viewership for the finale – up 12% for the adults 18–49 demographic and a 21% increase in total viewers from the ninth-season finale.[245] While the overall viewer number has increased this season, its viewer demographics have continued to age year on year – the median age this season was 47.2 compared to a median age of 32.1 in its first season.[246] The demographics also became "whiter" over time and less diverse.[247] Nevertheless, in the 2010–11 television season, Fox maintained its lead on over other networks with its seventh consecutive season of victory overall in the 18–49 demographic ratings in the United States.

The eleventh season, however, suffered a steep drop in ratings, a drop attributed by some to the arrival of new shows such as The Voice and The X Factor.[248] The ratings for the first two episodes of the eleventh season fell 16–21% in overall viewer numbers and 24–27% in the 18/49 demo,[197] while the season finale fell 27% in total viewer number and 30% in the 18–49 demo.[198] The average viewership for the season fell below 20 million viewers the first time since 2003, a drop of 23% in total viewers and 30% in the 18/49 demo. For the first time in eight years, American Idol lost the leading position in both the total viewers number and the 18/49 demo, coming in second to NBC Sunday Night Football, although the strengths of Idol in its second year in the Wednesday-Thursday primetime slots helped Fox achieve the longest period of 18–49 demographic victory in the Nielsen ratings, standing at 8 straight years from 2004 to 2012.[199]

The loss of viewers continued into the twelfth season, which saw the show hitting a number of series low in the 18–49 demo.[249] The finale had 7.2 million fewer viewers than the previous season, and saw a drop of 44% in the 18–49 demo.[250] The season viewers averaged at 13.3 million, a drop of 24% from the previous season.[251] The thirteenth season suffered a huge decline in the 18–49 demographic, a drop of 28% from the twelfth season, and American Idol lost its Top 10 position in the Nielsen ratings by the end of the 2013–14 television season for the first time since its entry to the rankings in 2003 as a result, and never regained its Top 10 position by the series' end in 2016.[34]

The continuing decline influenced further changes for the fourteenth season, including the loss of Coca-Cola as the show's major sponsor, and a decision to only broadcast one, two-hour show per week during the top 12 rounds (with results from the previous week integrated into the performance show, rather than having a separate results show).[252][35][253] On May 11, 2015, prior to the fourteenth-season finale, Fox announced that the fifteenth season of American Idol would be its last.[17] Despite these changes, the show's ratings would decline more sharply. The fourteenth-season finale was the lowest-rated finale ever, with an average of only 8.03 million viewers watching the finale. The show's ratings, however, rebounded in its final season and ended its run in 2016 as Fox's first-ever program to conclude its run without dropping from the Nielsen Top 30 most-watched television shows in each of its seasons.

For the revived series on ABC, the ratings were lower but remained stable compared to previous seasons on Fox. The finale of the seventeenth season was slightly more watched than the sixteenth.[254]

Critical reception

Early reviews were mixed in their assessment. Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly considered that "As TV, American Idol is crazily entertaining; as music, it's dust-mote inconsequential".[255] Others, however, thought that "the most striking aspect of the series was the genuine talent it revealed".[12] It was also described as a "sadistic musical bake-off",[256] and "a romp in humiliation".[257] Other aspects of the show have attracted criticisms. The product placement in the show in particular was noted,[258] and some critics were harsh about what they perceived as its blatant commercial calculations – Karla Peterson of The San Diego Union-Tribune charged that American Idol is "a conniving multimedia monster" that has "absorbed the sin of our debauched culture and spit them out in a lump of reconstituted evil".[259] The decision to send the first season winner to sing the national anthem at the Lincoln Memorial on the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks in 2002 was also poorly received by many. Lisa de Moraes of The Washington Post noted sarcastically that "The terrorists have won" and, with a sideswipe at the show's commercialism and voting process, that the decision as to who "gets to turn this important site into just another cog in the 'Great American Idol Marketing Mandala' is in the hands of the millions of girls who have made American Idol a hit. Them and a handful of phone-redialer geeks who have been clocking up to 10,000 calls each week for their contestant of choice (but who, according to Fox, are in absolutely no way skewing the outcome)."[260]

Some of the later writers about the show were more positive, Michael Slezak, again of Entertainment Weekly, thought that "for all its bloated, synthetic, product-shilling, money-making trappings, Idol provides a once-a-year chance for the average American to combat the evils of today's music business."[261] Singer Sheryl Crow, who was later to act as a mentor on the show, however took the view that the show "undermines art in every way and promotes commercialism".[262] Pop music critic Ann Powers nevertheless suggested that Idol has "reshaped the American songbook", "led us toward a new way of viewing ourselves in relationship to mainstream popular culture", and connects "the classic Hollywood dream to the multicentered popular culture of the future."[263] Others focused on the personalities in the show; Ramin Setoodeh of Newsweek accused judge Simon Cowell's cruel critiques in the show of helping to establish in the wider world a culture of meanness, that "Simon Cowell has dragged the rest of us in the mud with him."[264] Some such as singer John Mayer disparaged the contestants, suggesting that those who appeared on Idol are not real artists with self-respect.[265]

Some in the entertainment industry were critical of the star-making aspect of the show. Usher, a mentor on the show, bemoaning the loss of the "true art form of music", thought that shows like American Idol made it seem "so easy that everyone can do it, and that it can happen overnight", and that "television is a lie".[266] Musician Michael Feinstein, while acknowledging that the show had uncovered promising performers, said that American Idol "isn't really about music. It's about all the bad aspects of the music business – the arrogance of commerce, this sense of 'I know what will make this person a star; artists themselves don't know.' "[267] That American Idol is seen to be a fast track to success for its contestants has been a cause of resentment for some in the industry. LeAnn Rimes, commenting on Carrie Underwood winning Best Female Artist in Country Music Awards over Faith Hill in 2006, said that "Carrie has not paid her dues long enough to fully deserve that award".[268] It is a common theme that has been echoed by many others. Elton John, who had appeared as a mentor in the show but turned down an offer to be a judge on American Idol, commenting on talent shows in general, said that "there have been some good acts but the only way to sustain a career is to pay your dues in small clubs".[269] American Idol revolutionized American pop culture and the pop idol process and has provided an opportunity for many to bypass the small club scene and allow a much larger audience to participate in and select the next potential chart topping performer.[270]

The success of the show's alumni, however, has led to a more positive assessment of the show, and the show was described as having "proven it has a valid way to pick talent and a proven way to sell records".[271] While the industry is divided on the show success, its impact is felt particularly strongly in the country music format.[272] According to a CMT exec, reflecting on the success of Idol alumni in the country genre, "if you want to try and get famous fast by going to a cattle call audition on TV, Idol reasonably remains the first choice for anyone", and that country music and Idol "go together well".[273]

American Idol was nominated for the Emmy's Outstanding Reality Competition Program for nine years but never won.[274] Director Bruce Gower won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Series in 2009, and the show won a Creative Arts Emmys each in 2007 and 2008, three in 2009, and two in 2011, as well as a Governor's Award in 2007 for its Idol Gives Back edition. It won the People's Choice Award, which honors the popular culture of the previous year as voted by the public, for favorite competition/reality show in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2012.[275] It won the first Critics' Choice Television Award in 2011 for Best Reality Competition.[276]

In 2013, TV Guide ranked the series No. 48 on its list of the 60 Best Series of All Time.[277]

Geographical, ethnic, and gender bias

Throughout the series, twelve of the seventeen Idol winners, including its first five, had come from the Southern United States.[278] A large number of other finalists during the series' run have also hailed from the American South, including Clay Aiken, Kellie Pickler, and Chris Daughtry,[278] who are all from North Carolina. In 2012, an analysis of the 131 contestants who have appeared in the finals of all seasons of the show up to that point found that 48% have some connection to the Southern United States.[279]

The show itself was popular in the Southern United States, with households in the Southeastern United States 10% more likely to watch American Idol during the eighth season in 2009, and those in the East Central region, such as Kentucky, were 16 percent more likely to tune into the series.[278] Data from Nielsen SoundScan, a music-sales tracking service, showed that of the 47 million CDs sold by Idol contestants through January 2010, 85 percent were by contestants with ties to the American South.[278]

Theories given for the success of Southerners on Idol have been: more versatility with musical genres, as the Southern U.S. is home to several music genre scenes; not having as many opportunities to break into the pop music business; text-voting due to the South having the highest percentage of cell-phone only households; and the strong heritage of music and singing, which is notable in the Bible Belt, where it is in church that many people get their start in public singing.[278][280][281] Others also suggest that the Southern character of these contestants appeal to the South, as well as local pride.[282] According to fifth season winner Taylor Hicks, who is from the state of Alabama, "People in the South have a lot of pride ... So, they're adamant about supporting the contestants who do well from their state or region."[278]

For five consecutive seasons, starting in the seventh season, the title was given to a white male who plays the guitar – a trend that Idol pundits call the "White guy with guitar" or "WGWG" factor.[283] Just hours before the eleventh-season finale, where Phillip Phillips was named the winner, Richard Rushfield, author of the book American Idol: The Untold Story, said, "You have this alliance between young girls and grandmas and they see it, not necessarily as a contest to create a pop star competing on the contemporary radio, but as .... who's the nicest guy in a popularity contest", he says, "And that has led to this dynasty of four, and possibly now five, consecutive, affable, very nice, good-looking white boys."[283]

Controversy

The show was criticized in earlier seasons over the onerous contract contestants had to sign that gave excessive control to 19 Entertainment over their future careers[284] and handed a large part of their future earnings to the management.[285][286]

Individual contestants have generated controversy in this competition for their past actions[74][287] or for being 'ringers' planted by the producers.[97] A number of contestants have been disqualified for various reasons, such as for having an existing contract or undisclosed criminal record, although the show has also been accused of a double standard for disqualifying some but not others.[288]

Voting results have been a consistent source of controversy. The mechanism of voting has aroused considerable criticism, most notably in the second season when Ruben Studdard beat Clay Aiken in a close vote,[75] and in the eighth season, when the massive increase in text votes[57] fueled the texting controversy.[109] Concerns about power voting have been expressed from the first season.[289] Since 2004, votes also have been affected to a limited degree by online communities such as DialIdol and Vote for the Worst.[citation needed]

Cultural impact

Television

The enormous success of the show and the revenue it generated were transformative for the Fox Broadcasting Company. American Idol and other shows such as Survivor and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire were credited for expanding reality television programming in the United States in the 1990s and 2000s, and Idol became the most watched non-scripted primetime television series, which it remained for almost a decade, from 2003 to 2012, breaking records on U.S. television (dominated by drama shows and sitcoms in the preceding decades).[290]

The show pushed Fox to become the number one U.S. TV network among adults aged 18–49,[291] the key demographic coveted by advertisers, for an unprecedented eight consecutive years by 2012.[292] Its success also helped lift the ratings of other shows that were scheduled around it such as House and Bones, and Idol, for years, was Fox's strongest platform primetime television program for promoting eventual hit shows of the 2010s (of the same network) such as Glee, New Girl and Empire.[3] The show, its creator Simon Fuller claimed, "saved Fox".[293]

The show's massive success in the mid-2000s to early 2010s spawned a number of imitating singing-competition shows, such as Rock Star, Nashville Star, The Voice, Rising Star, The Sing-Off, and The X Factor.[294][295] The number of imitative singing shows on American television had reached 17 by 2016.[296] Its format also served as a blueprint for non-singing TV shows such as Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance, most of which contribute to the current highly competitive reality TV landscape on American television.[297]

Music

As one of the most successful shows on U.S. television history, American Idol has had a strong impact not just on television, but also in the wider world of entertainment.[298][299] It helped create a number of highly successful recording artists, such as Kelly Clarkson, Daughtry and Carrie Underwood, as well as others of varying notability. The alumni of the show have received between them 54 Grammy nominations and 13 Grammy awards by 2016, with Carrie Underwood winning seven.[300][301]

Various American Idol alumni had success on various record charts around the world; in the U.S. they had achieved 345 number ones on the Billboard charts in its first 10 years,[4] and 458 by its last year of broadcast in 2016, with 100 achieved by Kelly Clarkson alone.[302] According to Fred Bronson, author of books on the Billboard charts, no other entity has ever created as many hit-making artists and bestselling albums and singles.[303] In 2007, American Idol alums accounted for 2.1% of all music sales.[304] Its alumni have a massive impact on radio; in 2007, American Idol had become "a dominant force in radio" according to Rich Meyer, president of the radio station monitoring research company Mediabase.[305] By 2010, four winners each had more than a million radio spins, with Kelly Clarkson leading the field with over four million spins.[306]

At the end of the show's run on Fox in 2016, Idol's contestants have sold more than 60 million albums in the US, resulting in more than 80 Platinum records and 95 Gold records. Its participants have generated more than 450 Billboard No. 1 hits and sold more than 260 million digital downloads.[307]

Film and theater

The impact of American Idol was also strongly felt in musical theater, where many of Idol alumni have forged successful careers. The striking effect of former American Idol contestants on Broadway has been noted and commented on.[308][309] The casting of a popular Idol contestant can lead to significantly increased ticket sales. Other alumni have gone on to work in television and films, the most notable being Jennifer Hudson who, on the recommendation of the Idol vocal coach Debra Byrd,[310] won a role in Dreamgirls and eventually went on to win an Academy Award for her performance. She later became the show's first and only alumnus ever to win the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony).

In 2007, a musical based on the show, Idol: The Musical, played off-Broadway.[311] The musical closed after its official opening night.[312]

Revenue and commercial ventures

 
The American Idol Experience marquee sign

The dominance of American Idol in the ratings had made it the most profitable show in U.S. TV for many years. The show was estimated to generate $900 million for the year 2004 through sales of TV ads, albums, merchandise and concert tickets.[293] By the seventh season, the show was estimated to earn around $900 million from its ad revenue alone, not including ancillary sponsorship deals and other income.[313][314] One estimate puts the total TV revenue for the first eight seasons of American at $6.4 billion.[315] Sponsors that bought fully integrated packages can expect a variety of promotions of their products on the show, such as product placement, adverts and product promotion integrated into the show, and various promotional opportunities.[316] Other off-air promotional partners pay for the rights to feature "Idol" branding on their packaging, products and marketing programs.[317] American Idol also partnered with Disney in its theme park attraction The American Idol Experience.

Advertising revenue

American Idol became the most expensive series on broadcast networks for advertisers starting the fourth season,[318] and by the next season, it had broken the record in advertising rate for a regularly scheduled prime-time network series, selling over $700,000 for a 30-seconds slot,[319] and reaching up to $1.3 million for the finale.[320] Its ad prices reached a peak in the seventh season at $737,000.[314] Estimated revenue more than doubled from $404 million in the third season to $870 million in the sixth season.[321] While that declined from the eighth season onwards, it still earned significantly more than its nearest competitor,[322][323] with advertising revenue topping $800 million annually the next few seasons.[324] However, the sharp drop in ratings in the eleventh season also resulted in a sharp drop in advertising rate for the twelfth season, and the show lost its leading position as the costliest show for advertisers.[325] By 2014, ad revenue from had fallen to $427 million where a 30-second spot went for less than $300,000.[326] For the relaunched Idol on ABC, it has been reported that a 30-second spot may cost between $120,000–$160,000.[327]

Media sponsorship

Ford Motor Company and Coca-Cola were two of the first sponsors of American Idol in its first season. The sponsorship deal cost around $10 million in the first season,[328] rising to $35 million by the seventh season,[317] and between $50 to $60 million in the tenth season.[329] The third major sponsor AT&T Wireless joined in the second season but ended after the twelfth season, and Coca-Cola officially ended its sponsorship after the thirteenth season amidst the declining ratings of Idol in the mid-2010s. iTunes sponsored the show since the seventh season.

American Idol prominent display of its sponsors' logo and products had been noted since the early seasons.[12][234] By the sixth season, Idol showed 4,349 product placements according to Nielsen Media Research.[330] The branded entertainment integration proved beneficial to its advertisers – promotion of AT&T text-messaging as a means to vote successfully introduced the technology into the wider culture,[56][331] and Coca-Cola has seen its equity increased during the show.[332]

  • Coca-Cola – Cups bearing logo of Coca-Cola, and occasionally its subsidiary Vitaminwater,[333] are featured prominently on the judges table. Contestants are shown between songs held in the "Coca-Cola Red Room", the show's equivalent of the green room. (The Coca-Cola logo however is obscured during rebroadcast in the UK which until 2011 banned product placement.[334])
  • Ford – Contestants appear in the special Ford videos on the results shows, and winners Kelly Clarkson, Taylor Hicks, and Kris Allen have also appeared in commercials for Ford.[316] The final two each won a free Ford Mustang in the fourth through sixth seasons, Ford Escape Hybrid in the seventh season, Ford Fusion Hybrid in the eighth season, Ford Fiesta in the ninth season, and 2013 Ford Fusion in the eleventh season. In the tenth season Scotty McCreery chose a Ford F-150 and Lauren Alaina chose Shelby Mustang. In the red room, there is a glass table with a Ford wheel as its base.
  • AT&T – AT&T Mobility is promoted as the service provider for text-voting. AT&T created an ad campaign that centered on an air-headed teenager going around telling people to vote.
  • Apple iTunes – Ryan Seacrest announces the availability of contestants' performances exclusively via iTunes. Videos are regularly shown of contestants learning their songs by rehearsing with iPods.
  • Previous sponsors include Old Navy and Clairol's Herbal Essences. In the second and third seasons, contestants sometimes donned Old Navy clothing for their performances with celebrity stylist Steven Cojocaru assisting with their wardrobe selection,[335] and contestants received Clairol-guided hair makeovers. In the seventh-season finale, both David Cook and David Archuleta appeared in "Risky Business"-inspired commercials for Guitar Hero, a sponsor of the tour that year.

Coca-Cola's archrival PepsiCo declined to sponsor American Idol at the show's start. What the Los Angeles Times later called "missing one of the biggest marketing opportunities in a generation" contributed to Pepsi losing market share, by 2010 falling to third place from second in the United States. PepsiCo sponsored the American version of Cowell's The X Factor in hopes of not repeating its Idol mistake until its cancellation.[336]

For the revived series on ABC, Macy's and Johnson & Johnson's Zyrtec signed on as the major sponsors of the show.[337]

American Idol tour

 
Tenth season American Idol tour, Scotty McCreery performing with Thia Megia, Haley Reinhart and Pia Toscano

The top ten (eleven in the tenth season, five in the fourteenth season, and seven in the sixteenth season) toured at the end of every season except for the fifteenth and seventeenth seasons.[338][339] In the twelfth season tour a semi-finalist who won a sing-off was also added to the tour. Kellogg's Pop-Tarts was the sponsor for the first seven seasons, and Guitar Hero was added for the seventh season tour. M&M's Pretzel Chocolate Candies was a sponsor of the ninth season tour. The fifth season tour was the most successful tour with gross of over $35 million.[340] However no concert tour was organized in the fifteenth and seventeenth seasons, the only seasons not to have an associated tour.[341] The sixteenth season tour featured the band In Real Life as an opener on select dates.[342]

Idol Gives Back

Idol Gives Back was a special charity event started in season six featuring performances by celebrities and various fund-raising initiatives. This event was also held in seasons seven and nine and has raised nearly $185 million in total.[95]

Music releases

American Idol has traditionally released studio recordings of contestants' performances as well as the winner's coronation single for sale. For the first five seasons, the recordings were released as a compilation album at the end of the season. All five of these albums reached the top ten in Billboard 200 which made then American Idol the most successful soundtrack franchise of any motion picture or television program.[343] Starting late in the fifth season, individual performances were released during the season as digital downloads, initially from the American Idol official website only. In the seventh season the live performances and studio recordings were made available during the season from iTunes when it joined as a sponsor. In the tenth season the weekly studio recordings were also released as compilation digital album straight after performance night.

19 Recordings, a recording label owned by 19 Entertainment, currently hold the rights to phonographic material recorded by all the contestants. 19 originally partnered with Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) to promote and distribute the recordings through its labels RCA Records, Arista Records, J Records, Jive Records. In 2005–2007, BMG partnered with Sony Music Entertainment to form a joint venture known as Sony BMG Music Entertainment. From 2008 to 2010, Sony Music handled the distribution following their acquisition of BMG. Sony Music was partnered with American Idol and distribute its music, and In 2010, Sony was replaced by as the music label for American Idol by UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M Records.[344]

Tie-ins

American Idol video games

Theme park attraction

On February 14, 2009, The Walt Disney Company debuted "The American Idol Experience" at its Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. In this live production, co-produced by 19 Entertainment, park guests chose from a list of songs and auditioned privately for Disney cast members. Those selected then performed on a stage in a 1000-seat theater replicating the Idol set. Three judges, whose mannerisms and style mimicked those of the real Idol judges, critiqued the performances.[345] Audience members then voted for their favorite performer. There were several preliminary-round shows during the day that culminated in a "finals" show in the evening where one of the winners of the previous rounds that day was selected as the overall winner.[346] The winner of the finals show received a "Dream Ticket" that granted them front-of-the-line privileges at any future American Idol audition.[345] The attraction closed on August 30, 2014.[347]

 
American Idol Experience stage

Other broadcasts

American Idol is broadcast to over 100 nations worldwide.[348] In most nations these are not live broadcasts and may be tape delayed by several days or weeks, except for other season finales that are aired live in several countries simulcast with the U.S. broadcast on Fox (2002–2016) and ABC (since 2018). In Canada, the first thirteen seasons of American Idol were aired live countrywide by CTV and/or CTV Two, in simulcast with Fox. CTV dropped Idol after its thirteenth season and in August 2014, Yes TV announced that it had picked up Canadian rights to American Idol beginning in its 2015 season.[349][350] In 2017, it was announced the show would return to CTV Two for its sixteenth season.[351] Since season nineteen, the show started airing on Citytv.

In Latin America, the show is broadcast and subtitled by Sony Entertainment Television. In Southeast Asia, it is broadcast by Sony Channel every Monday and Tuesday nine or ten hours after since its revival. In Philippines, it is aired every Thursday and Friday nine or ten hours after its United States telecast; from 2004 to 2007 on ABC 5; 2008–11 on QTV, then GMA News TV; and 2012–16, 2018–19 on ETC. In Indonesia, it was aired on RCTI in the 2002 to 2003 season, before the Indonesian version of Idols was held in the 2004, aired after each episode ended, and in the 2011 to 2013 season it was broadcast by B-Channel (now RTV). In Australia, it aired a few hours after the U.S. telecast. It was aired on Network Ten from 2002 to 2008 and then again in 2013. Between 2008 and 2012 it aired on Fox8 and the thirteenth and fourteenth seasons (2014–15) it aired on digital channel, Eleven, a sister channel to Network Ten. Its final season (2016) aired on Fox8 hours after the original U.S. broadcast. The show enjoyed a lot of popularity in Australia throughout the 2000s before declining in the ratings.[352] In the United Kingdom, episodes were aired one day after the U.S. broadcast on digital channel ITV2. In the twelfth season, the episodes aired on 5*. It was also aired in Ireland on TV3 two days after the telecast. In Brazil and Israel, the show airs two days after its original broadcast, and broadcast live during the season finale. In the instances where the airing is delayed, the shows may sometimes be combined into one episode to summarize the results. In Italy, the twelfth season was broadcast by La3.[353] In Singapore, The show was broadcast on Mediacorp Channel 5 for the ninth and tenth seasons.

Spin-offs

See also

References

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american, idol, most, recent, season, season, american, singing, competition, television, series, created, simon, fuller, produced, fremantle, north, america, entertainment, distributed, fremantle, north, america, aired, from, june, 2002, april, 2016, seasons,. For the most recent season see American Idol season 20 American Idol is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment and distributed by Fremantle North America It aired on Fox from June 11 2002 to April 7 2016 for 15 seasons It was on hiatus for two years until March 11 2018 when a revival of the series began airing on ABC American IdolAlso known asAmerican Idol The Search for a SuperstarGenreReality competitionCreated bySimon FullerBased onPop IdolDirected byAndy Scheer 2002 Bruce Gowers 2003 2006 2008 Ken Warwick 2007 2011 12 Bill DeRonde 2009 2014 15 Gregg Gelfand 2010 2013 Louis J Horvitz 2014 Phil Heyes 2015 2016 2018 present Presented byRyan Seacrest Brian DunklemanJudgesPaula Abdul Simon Cowell Randy Jackson Kara DioGuardi Ellen DeGeneres Jennifer Lopez Steven Tyler Mariah Carey Nicki Minaj Keith Urban Harry Connick Jr Luke Bryan Katy Perry Lionel RichieTheme music composerJulian Gingell Barry Stone Cathy DennisCountry of originUnited StatesOriginal languageEnglishNo of seasons20No of episodes661 list of episodes ProductionExecutive producersSimon Fuller 2002 16 Cecile Frot Coutaz 2002 18 Simon Jones 2002 03 Nigel Lythgoe 2002 08 2011 13 2016 finale Ken Warwick 2002 13 J Brian Gadinsky 2002 Charles Boyd 2009 16 Trish Kinane 2013 Jesse Ignjatovic 2014 Evan Prager 2014 Per Blankens 2014 15 David Hill 2015 16 Megan Wolflick 2015 Jessica Castro 2016 Jennifer Mullin 2018 Phil McIntyre 2018 Chris Anokute 2019 Brian Burke 2021 Running time22 104 minutesProduction companiesFremantle North America 19 EntertainmentReleaseOriginal networkFox 2002 16 ABC 2018 present Picture formatNTSC 2002 04 HDTV 720p 2005 present Original releaseFox June 11 2002 2002 06 11 April 7 2016 2016 04 07 ABC March 11 2018 2018 03 11 presentIt started as an addition to the Idols format that was based on Pop Idol from British television and became one of the most successful shows in the history of American television The concept of the series involves discovering recording stars from unsigned singing talents with the winner determined by American viewers using phones Internet and SMS text voting The winners of the first twenty seasons as chosen by viewers are Kelly Clarkson Ruben Studdard Fantasia Barrino Carrie Underwood Taylor Hicks Jordin Sparks David Cook Kris Allen Lee DeWyze Scotty McCreery Phillip Phillips Candice Glover Caleb Johnson Nick Fradiani Trent Harmon Maddie Poppe Laine Hardy Just Sam Chayce Beckham and Noah Thompson American Idol employs a panel of vocal judges who critique the contestants performances The original judges for seasons one through eight were record producer and music manager Randy Jackson singer and choreographer Paula Abdul and music executive and manager Simon Cowell The judging panel for the last three seasons on Fox consisted of singers Keith Urban Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick Jr 1 Season sixteen brought three new judges singers Lionel Richie Katy Perry and Luke Bryan The first season was hosted by radio personality Ryan Seacrest and comedian Brian Dunkleman but Seacrest has been the sole host since the second season The success of American Idol has been described as unparalleled in broadcasting history 2 A rival TV executive said the series was the most impactful show in the history of television 3 It became a recognized springboard for launching the career of many artists as bona fide stars According to Billboard magazine in its first ten years Idol has spawned 345 Billboard chart toppers and a platoon of pop idols including Kelly Clarkson Carrie Underwood Chris Daughtry Fantasia Ruben Studdard Jennifer Hudson Clay Aiken Adam Lambert and Jordin Sparks while remaining a TV ratings juggernaut 4 For an unprecedented eight consecutive years from the 2003 04 television season through the 2010 11 season either its performance show or result show was ranked number one in U S television ratings 5 Contents 1 History 1 1 Judges 1 2 Hosts 1 3 Cast timeline 2 Selection process 2 1 Contestant eligibility 2 2 Initial auditions 2 3 Hollywood week 2 4 Audience voting 2 5 Semi finals 2 6 Finals 2 7 Season finale 2 8 Rewards for winner and finalists 3 Series overview 4 Season synopses 4 1 2002 2016 Fox 4 1 1 Season 1 4 1 2 Season 2 4 1 3 Season 3 4 1 4 Season 4 4 1 5 Season 5 4 1 6 Season 6 4 1 7 Season 7 4 1 8 Season 8 4 1 9 Season 9 4 1 10 Season 10 4 1 11 Season 11 4 1 12 Season 12 4 1 13 Season 13 4 1 14 Season 14 4 1 15 Season 15 4 2 2018 present ABC revival 4 2 1 Season 16 4 2 2 Season 17 4 2 3 Season 18 4 2 4 Season 19 4 2 5 Season 20 4 2 6 Season 21 5 Reception 5 1 U S television ratings 5 2 Critical reception 5 3 Geographical ethnic and gender bias 6 Controversy 7 Cultural impact 7 1 Television 7 2 Music 7 3 Film and theater 8 Revenue and commercial ventures 8 1 Advertising revenue 8 2 Media sponsorship 8 3 American Idol tour 9 Idol Gives Back 9 1 Music releases 9 2 Tie ins 10 Theme park attraction 11 Other broadcasts 12 Spin offs 13 See also 14 References 15 External linksHistory Edit Logo used for the original series American Idol was based on the British show Pop Idol created by Simon Fuller which was in turn inspired by the New Zealand television singing competition Popstars Television producer Nigel Lythgoe saw a version in Australia and helped bring it over to Britain 6 Fuller was inspired by the idea from Popstars of employing a panel of judges to select singers in audition He then added other elements including telephone voting by the viewing public which at the time was already in use in shows such as the Eurovision Song Contest the drama of backstories and real life soap opera unfolding in real time 7 Pop Idol debuted in Britain in 2001 with Lythgoe as showrunner the executive producer and production leader and Simon Cowell as one of the judges and was successful with the viewing public 8 In 2001 Fuller Cowell and TV producer Simon Jones attempted to sell the Pop Idol format to the United States but the idea was initially met with poor responses from all the television networks including Fox 9 However Rupert Murdoch head of Fox s parent company was later persuaded to buy the series by his daughter Elisabeth who had seen the British show 9 Although Fox s executives wanted to change the format Murdoch insisted that it should remain the same as the British one One change was nevertheless made due to the presence of multiple time zones in the United States that made it impractical for the country to vote in the same time period an additional half hour results show was therefore added the day following the performance show 10 The show was renamed American Idol The Search for a Superstar and debuted in the summer of 2002 Cowell was initially offered the job of showrunner but turned down the offer Lythgoe then took over that position Much to the surprise of Cowell and Fox it became one of the biggest shows of the summer 11 12 With its successful launch in the summer the show was then moved to January and expanded 13 The show grew into a phenomenon largely due to its personal engagement with the contestants by prompting the viewers to vote and the presence of the acid tongued Cowell as a judge By 2004 it had become the most watched show on U S television a position it then held for seven consecutive seasons until 2011 14 15 However after a few years of sharp declining ratings starting in 2012 with rating falls of over 20 each season 16 the fifteenth season would be its last on Fox ending its run in April 2016 17 In May 2017 ABC acquired the rights to the series and the program returned for the 2017 18 television season 18 19 The first season of the revived series or the 16th season overall started airing in March 2018 20 Five seasons have been aired on ABC as of May 2022 21 Judges Edit The show had originally planned on having four judges following the Pop Idol format however only three judges had been found by the time of the audition round in the first season namely Randy Jackson Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell 9 A fourth judge radio DJ Stryker was originally chosen but he dropped out citing image concerns 22 In the second season New York radio personality Angie Martinez had been hired as a fourth judge but withdrew only after a few days of auditions due to not being comfortable with giving out criticism 23 The show decided to continue with the three judges format until the eighth season All three original judges stayed on the judging panel for eight seasons In the eighth season Latin Grammy Award nominated singer songwriter and record producer Kara DioGuardi was added as a fourth judge Abdul left the show in 2009 after the eighth season as a result of failing to agree to terms with the show producers 24 Emmy Award winning talk show host Ellen DeGeneres replaced Abdul for the ninth season but left in 2010 after just one season 25 DioGuardi was let go from American Idol in 2010 after two seasons as producers favored a return to the three person judge panel previously used prior to DioGuardi s appearance on the show 26 Cowell also left the show in 2010 to introduce the American version of his show The X Factor for 2011 27 Jackson was the only judge from the ninth season to return for the tenth Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler joined the judging panel in the tenth season 28 but both left in 2012 after two seasons 29 Jackson was the only judge from the eleventh season to return for the twelfth They were replaced by three new judges Mariah Carey Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban who joined Jackson in the twelfth season 30 However both Carey and Minaj left after one season 31 and Jackson departed the show after twelve seasons as a judge but would return as a mentor for the thirteenth season in 2014 after which he left the show permanently 32 33 Urban was the only judge from the twelfth season to return as a judge for the thirteenth season Lopez returned to American Idol for the thirteenth season and was joined by former mentor Harry Connick Jr 1 After this Lopez Urban and Connick Jr remained on the show until its cancellation after the fifteenth season in 2016 34 35 Katy Perry 36 Luke Bryan 37 and Lionel Richie 38 have served as the judges since the revival of American Idol began on ABC in 2018 marking the sixteenth season of Idol 39 Guest judges may occasionally be introduced In the second season guest judges such as Lionel Richie and Robin Gibb were used and in the third season Donna Summer Quentin Tarantino and some of the mentors also joined as judges to critique the performances in the final rounds Guest judges were used in the audition rounds Gene Simmons LL Cool J Brandy Mark McGrath and Kenny Loggins in the fourth season Carole Bayer Sager Jewel and Olivia Newton John in the sixth season Shania Twain Neil Patrick Harris Avril Lavigne Mary J Blige Joe Jonas Kristen Chenoweth Victoria Beckham and Katy Perry in the ninth season and Adam Lambert in the fourteenth season Hosts Edit Brian Dunkleman co hosted with Seacrest for the first season The first season was co hosted by Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman following the format of Pop Idol of using two presenters Dunkleman quit thereafter 40 resulting in Seacrest becoming the sole host starting with the second season in 2003 Seacrest has remained as sole host of American Idol ever since with the exception of the two year hiatus between 2016 and 2018 as well as April 8 2019 when Bobby Bones subbed for Seacrest after the latter fell ill 41 Dunkleman did however return for the initial series finale on Fox in 2016 as a guest 42 Cast timeline Edit Host Co host Judge Guest Judge In House MentorCast member SeasonsFox ABC1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21Ryan SeacrestBrian DunklemanPaula AbdulSimon CowellRandy JacksonKara DioGuardiEllen DeGeneresJennifer LopezSteven TylerMariah CareyNicki MinajKeith UrbanHarry Connick Jr Luke BryanKaty PerryLionel RichieSelection process EditThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed January 2019 Learn how and when to remove this template message In a series of steps the show selected the eventual winner out of many tens of thousands of contestants Contestant eligibility Edit The eligible age range for contestants is fifteen to twenty eight years old The initial age limit was sixteen to twenty four in the first three seasons but the upper limit was raised to twenty eight in the fourth season and the lower limit was reduced to fifteen in the tenth season The contestants have to be legal U S residents can not have advanced to particular stages of the competition in previous seasons and must not have held a current recording or talent representation contract by the semi final stage 43 in previous years by the audition stage 44 Season nine s Denver audition at Invesco Field at Mile High Initial auditions Edit For the first eighteen seasons contestants went through at least three sets of cuts The first was a brief audition with a few other contestants in front of selectors which may include one of the show s producers Although auditions can exceed 10 000 in each city only a few hundred of these made it past the preliminary round of auditions Successful contestants then sing in front of producers where more may be cut Only then can they proceed to audition in front of the judges which is the only audition stage shown on television 45 Those selected by the judges are sent to Hollywood Between 10 and 60 people in each city may make it to Hollywood citation needed From the nineteenth season onwards contestants request a Zoom interview and audition remotely for the show s producers If the audition goes well they will then invite the contestants to audition in front of the judges in one of the audition cities 46 Hollywood week Edit Once in Hollywood the contestants perform individually or in groups in a series of rounds Until the tenth season there were usually three rounds of eliminations in Hollywood 47 In the first round the contestants emerged in groups but performed individually For the next round the contestants put themselves in small groups and performed a song together 48 In the final round the contestants performed solo with a song of their choice a cappella or accompanied by a band depending on the season In the second and third seasons contestants were also asked to write original lyrics or melody in an additional round after the first round In the seventh season the group round was eliminated and contestants may after a first solo performance and on judges approval skip a second solo round and move directly to the final Hollywood round 49 In the twelfth season the executive producers split up the females and males and chose the members to form the groups in the group round In the tenth and eleventh seasons a further round was added in Las Vegas where the contestants performed in groups based on a theme followed by one final solo round to determine the semi finalists 50 51 At the end of this stage of the competition 24 to 36 contestants were selected to move on to the semi final stage In the twelfth season the Las Vegas round became a Sudden Death round where the judges had to choose five guys and five girls each night four nights to make the top twenty 52 In the thirteenth season the Las Vegas round was eliminated and a new round called Hollywood or Home was added where if the judges were uncertain about some contestants those contestants were required to perform soon after landing in Los Angeles and those who failed to impress were sent back home before they reached Hollywood 53 In the fourteenth season the Hollywood or Home round was dropped and a Showcase round was added where the contestants performed at the House of Blues or auditorium for the judges and a live audience and these performances determine who makes into the Top 24 54 In the seventeenth and eighteenth seasons the showcase round took place in Hawaii In the nineteenth and twentieth seasons a showstopper round was used Audience voting Edit From the semi finals onward the fate of the contestants is decided by public vote During the contestant s performance as well as the recap at the end a toll free telephone number for each contestant was displayed on the screen For a two hour period after the episode ends up to four hours for the finale in each US time zone viewers may call or send a text message to their preferred contestant s telephone number and each call or text message was registered as a vote for that contestant Viewers were allowed to vote as many times as they can within the two hour voting window However the show reserves the right to discard votes by power dialers 55 One or more of the least popular contestants may be eliminated in successive weeks until a winner emerges Over 110 million votes were cast in the first season and by the tenth season the seasonal total had increased to nearly 750 million Voting via text messaging was made available in the second season when AT amp T Wireless joined as a sponsor of the show and 7 5 million text messages were sent to American Idol that season 56 The number of text messages rapidly increased reaching 178 million texts by the eighth season 57 Online voting was offered for the first time in the tenth season The votes are counted and verified by Telescope Inc 58 Semi finals Edit In the first three seasons the semi finalists were split into different groups to perform individually in their respective night In the first season there were three groups of ten with the top three contestants from each group making the finals In the second and third seasons there were four groups of eight and the top two of each selected These seasons also featured a wildcard round where contestants who failed to qualify were given another chance In the first season only one wildcard contestant was chosen by the judges giving a total of ten finalists In the second and third seasons each of the three judges championed one contestant with the public advancing a fourth into the finals making 12 finalists in all From the fourth through seventh and ninth seasons the twenty four semi finalists were divided by gender in order to ensure an equal gender division in the top twelve The men and women sang separately on consecutive nights and the bottom two in each groups were eliminated each week until only six of each remained to form the top twelve The wildcard round returned in the eighth season wherein there were three groups of twelve with three contestants moving forward the highest male the highest female and the next highest placed singer for each night and four wildcards were chosen by the judges to produce a final 13 Starting in tenth season the girls and boys perform on separate nights In the tenth and eleventh seasons five of each gender were chosen and three wildcards were chosen by the judges to form a final 13 In the twelfth season the top twenty semifinalists were split into gender groups with five of each gender advancing to form the final 10 In the thirteenth season there were thirty semifinalists but only twenty semifinalists ten for each gender were chosen by the judges to perform on the live shows with five in each gender based on the vote and three wildcards chosen by the judges composing the final 13 In the fourteenth season the top 24 performed at The Fillmore Detroit starting with the 12 males on one night and then the 12 females on the next night The following week the same order went for the top 16 with four males eliminated followed by four females based on the vote Then on the first night of finals a similar sequence from the thirteenth season was used to determine the final 12 with five of each gender based on the vote and two wildcards chosen by the judges In the fifteenth season the top 24 performed at Cathedral of Saint Vibiana in Los Angeles and were split into two groups of twelve and performed twice one being a solo performance and one being a duet with a former Idol contestant In each group the judges chose 7 contestants to advance to the top 14 where the judges chose 4 to advance to the top 10 and remaining 6 contestants were chosen based on the vote In the sixteenth season the top 24 performed at the Academy in the Heart of LA and the show repeated the process from the previous season However instead of Idol alumnus as duet partners superstar celebrity singers were used as the duet partners In the seventeenth season the show repeated the process again However instead of a top 24 it s a top 20 the contestants performed at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles and performed solos in one episode and performed the duets in two episodes In the eighteenth season due to the COVID 19 pandemic the top 20 performed at their homes and based on the vote half of the top 20 would advance to the top 10 and the other half would be eliminated However a wild card was given to one of the bottom 10 to save them from elimination 59 60 In the nineteenth season the show used a combination of the process from the sixteenth and fourteenth seasons In the twentieth season the show repeated the process from the previous season but they used a top 20 instead of a top 16 and there were no all star duets Finals Edit The finals were broadcast in prime time from CBS Television City in Los Angeles in front of a live studio audience except the eighteenth season due to the COVID 19 pandemic The finals lasted eight weeks in the first season From the second to ninth and fourteenth seasons the finals lasted eleven weeks The tenth and eleventh seasons lasted for twelve weeks while the twelfth season lasted for ten weeks In the thirteenth season the finals lasted thirteen weeks The finals lasted seven weeks in the fifteenth season and six weeks in the sixteenth season Each finalist performs songs based on a weekly theme which may be a musical genre such as Motown disco or big band songs by artists such as Michael Jackson Elvis Presley or The Beatles or more general themes such as Billboard number one hits or songs from the contestant s year of birth Contestants usually worked with a celebrity mentor related to the theme From the tenth to twelfth seasons Jimmy Iovine was brought in as a mentor for the season Initially the contestants sang one song each week but this was increased to two songs from top four or five onwards then three songs for the top two or three The most popular contestants are usually not revealed in the results show Instead typically the three contestants two in later rounds who received the lowest number of votes was called to the center of the stage One of these three was usually sent to safety however the two remaining were not necessarily the bottom two 61 The contestant with the fewest votes was then revealed and eliminated from the competition A montage of the eliminated contestant s time on the show was played and they gave their final performance from the fourteenth season onward the montage and the final performance were dropped However in the sixth season during the series first ever Idol Gives Back episode no contestant was eliminated but on the following week two were sent home Moreover from the eighth season onwards the judges may overturn viewers decision with a Judges Save if they unanimously agreed to The save could only be used once and only up through the Top 5 In the eighth to tenth and fourteenth seasons a double elimination then took place in the week following the activation of the save but in the eleventh and thirteenth seasons a regular single elimination took place The save was not activated in the twelfth season and consequently a non elimination took place in the week after its expiration with the votes then carrying over into the following week The Fan Save was introduced in the fourteenth season During the finals viewers were given a five minute window to vote for the contestants in danger of elimination by using their Twitter account to decide which contestant will move on to the next show starting with the Top 8 Season finale Edit The finale is a two hour episode which is always the last episode of the season culminating in revealing the winner For the first third through sixth and fourteenth through fifteenth seasons it was broadcast from the Dolby Theatre which has an audience capacity of approximately 3 400 The second season finale took place at the Gibson Amphitheatre which had an audience capacity of over 6 000 In the seventh through thirteenth seasons the venue was at the Microsoft Theater which holds an audience of over 7 000 Since the show s reboot on ABC the venue remains the same throughout the entire show excluding auditions The eighteenth season finale was conducted virtually due to the COVID 19 pandemic Rewards for winner and finalists Edit The winner usually receives a record deal with a major label which may be for up to six albums 62 63 and secures a management contract with American Idol affiliated 19 Management which has the right of first refusal to sign all contestants as well as various lucrative contracts All winners prior to the ninth season reportedly earned at least 1 million in their first year as winner 63 At first the contract came with a 250 000 plus advance but dropped to about 62 500 over the Fox years 64 All the runners up of the first ten seasons as well as some of other finalists had also received record deals with major labels However starting in the eleventh season the runner up may only be guaranteed a single only deal 65 BMG Sony first through ninth seasons UMG tenth through fifteenth seasons and Disney Music Group s Hollywood Records sixteenth through eighteenth seasons had the right of first refusal to sign contestants for three months after the season s finale In the fourteenth and fifteenth seasons the winner was signed with Big Machine Records Prominent music mogul Clive Davis also produced some of the selected contestants albums such as Kelly Clarkson Clay Aiken Fantasia Barrino and Diana DeGarmo All top 10 11 in the tenth and twelfth seasons 5 in the fourteenth season and 7 in the sixteenth season finalists earn the privilege of going on a tour where the participants may each earn a six figure sum 66 Series overview EditMain article List of American Idol episodes SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedWinnerRunner upThird placeFirst airedLast airedNetwork125June 11 2002 2002 06 11 September 4 2002 2002 09 04 FoxKelly ClarksonJustin GuariniNikki McKibbin240January 21 2003 2003 01 21 May 21 2003 2003 05 21 Ruben StuddardClay AikenKimberley Locke344January 19 2004 2004 01 19 May 26 2004 2004 05 26 Fantasia BarrinoDiana DeGarmoJasmine Trias443January 18 2005 2005 01 18 May 25 2005 2005 05 25 Carrie UnderwoodBo BiceVonzell Solomon541January 17 2006 2006 01 17 May 24 2006 2006 05 24 Taylor HicksKatharine McPheeElliott Yamin641January 16 2007 2007 01 16 May 23 2007 2007 05 23 Jordin SparksBlake LewisMelinda Doolittle742January 15 2008 2008 01 15 May 21 2008 2008 05 21 David CookDavid ArchuletaSyesha Mercado840January 13 2009 2009 01 13 May 20 2009 2009 05 20 Kris AllenAdam LambertDanny Gokey943January 12 2010 2010 01 12 May 26 2010 2010 05 26 Lee DeWyzeCrystal BowersoxCasey James1039January 19 2011 2011 01 19 May 25 2011 2011 05 25 Scotty McCreeryLauren AlainaHaley Reinhart1140January 18 2012 2012 01 18 May 23 2012 2012 05 23 Phillip PhillipsJessica SanchezJoshua Ledet1237January 16 2013 2013 01 16 May 16 2013 2013 05 16 Candice GloverKree HarrisonAngie Miller1339January 15 2014 2014 01 15 May 21 2014 2014 05 21 Caleb JohnsonJena IreneAlex Preston1430January 7 2015 2015 01 07 May 13 2015 2015 05 13 Nick FradianiClark BeckhamJax1524January 6 2016 2016 01 06 April 7 2016 2016 04 07 Trent HarmonLa Porsha RenaeDalton Rapattoni1619March 11 2018 2018 03 11 May 21 2018 2018 05 21 ABCMaddie PoppeCaleb Lee HutchinsonGabby Barrett1719March 3 2019 2019 03 03 May 19 2019 2019 05 19 Laine HardyAlejandro ArandaMadison VanDenburg1816February 16 2020 2020 02 16 May 17 2020 2020 05 17 Just SamArthur GunnDillon JamesFrancisco MartinJonny West a 1919February 14 2021 2021 02 14 May 23 2021 2021 05 23 Chayce BeckhamWillie SpenceGrace Kinstler2020February 27 2022 2022 02 27 May 22 2022 2022 05 22 Noah ThompsonHunterGirlLeah Marlene Owning to the production difficulties caused by the COVID 19 pandemic the finale had five contestants instead of three and the three contestants who failed to place in the Top 2 finished in joint third place Season synopses EditEach season premieres with the audition round taking place in different cities The audition episodes typically feature a mix of potential finalists interesting characters and woefully inadequate contestants Each successful contestant receives a golden ticket to proceed on to the next round in Hollywood Based on their performances during the Hollywood round Las Vegas round from the tenth through twelfth seasons 24 to 36 contestants are selected by the judges to participate in the semifinals From the semifinals onward the contestants perform their songs live with the judges making their critiques after each performance The contestants are voted for by the viewing public and the outcome of the public votes is then revealed during a results segment The results segment feature group performances by the contestants as well as guest performers The Top three results also features homecoming events for the Top 3 finalists The season reaches its climax in a two hour results finale show where the winner of the season is revealed With the exception of the first two seasons the contestants in the semifinals onward perform in front of a studio audience They perform with a full band in the finals The current musical director is Kris Pooley who has been with the show since the sixteenth season In previous seasons the American Idol band was led by Rickey Minor fourth through ninth and thirteenth through fifteenth seasons and Ray Chew tenth through twelfth seasons Assistance has also been given by vocal coaches and song arrangers such as Michael Orland and Debra Byrd to contestants behind the scene Starting with the seventh season contestants may perform with a musical instrument from the Hollywood rounds onward In later seasons the contestants were allowed to perform with a musical instrument in the auditions During the first nine seasons performances were usually aired live on Tuesday nights followed by the results shows on Wednesdays but moved to Wednesdays and Thursdays from the tenth through thirteenth seasons From the fourteenth season onward there were no separate results shows On the fourteenth season the show aired on Wednesday nights and on the fifteenth season Thursday nights From the sixteenth season onward it aired on Sundays and Mondays citation needed 2002 2016 Fox Edit Season 1 Edit Main article American Idol season 1 Kelly Clarkson the first season winner The first season of American Idol debuted as a summer replacement show in June 2002 on the Fox network It was co hosted by Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman Randy Jackson Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell served as judges In the audition rounds 121 contestants were selected from around 10 000 who attended the auditions These were cut to 30 for the semifinal with ten going on to the finals One semifinalist Delano Cagnolatti was disqualified for lying to evade the show s age limit One of the early favorites Tamyra Gray was eliminated at the top four the first of several such shock eliminations that were to be repeated in later seasons Christina Christian was hospitalized before the top six result show due to chest pains and palpitations and she was eliminated while she was in the hospital 67 Jim Verraros was the first openly gay contestant on the show his sexual orientation was revealed on his blog however it was removed during the competition after a request from the show producers over concerns that it might be unfairly influencing votes 68 The final showdown was between Justin Guarini one of the early favorites and Kelly Clarkson Clarkson was not initially thought of as a contender 69 but impressed the judges with some good performances in the final rounds such as her performance of Aretha Franklin s Natural Woman and Betty Hutton s Stuff Like That There and eventually won the crown on September 4 2002 In what was to become a tradition Clarkson performed the coronation song during the finale and released the song immediately after the season ended The single A Moment Like This went on to break a 38 year old record held by The Beatles for the biggest leap to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Guarini did not release any song immediately after the show and remains the only runner up not to do so Both Clarkson and Guarini made a musical film From Justin to Kelly which was released in 2003 but was widely panned Clarkson has since become one of the most successful Idol contestants internationally 70 with worldwide album sales of more than 25 million 71 Starting September 30 2006 this season was repackaged as American Idol Rewind and syndicated directly to stations in the U S citation needed Season 2 Edit Main article American Idol season 2 Ruben Studdard the second season winner Following the success of the first season the second season was moved up to air in January 2003 The number of episodes increased as did the show s budget and the charge for commercial spots Dunkleman left the show leaving Ryan Seacrest as the lone host Randy Jackson Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell returned as judges Kristin Adams was a correspondent for this season 72 Corey Clark was disqualified during the finals for having an undisclosed police record however he later alleged that he and Paula Abdul had an affair while on the show and that this contributed to his expulsion Clark also claimed that Abdul gave him preferential treatment on the show due to their affair The allegations were dismissed by Fox after an independent investigation 73 Two semi finalists were also disqualified that year Jaered Andrews for an arrest on an assault charge and Frenchie Davis for having previously modeled for an adult website 74 The season finale drew more than 38 million viewers marking Idol s biggest audience ever for a single episode Ruben Studdard emerged as the winner beating Clay Aiken by a small margin Out of a total of 24 million votes Studdard finished just 134 000 votes ahead of Aiken This slim margin of victory was controversial due to the large number of calls that failed to get through 75 In an interview prior to the fifth season executive producer Nigel Lythgoe indicated that Aiken had led the fan voting from the wildcard week onward until the finale 76 Both finalists found success after the show but Aiken out performed Studdard s coronation song Flying Without Wings with his single release from the show This Is the Night as well as in their subsequent album releases The fourth place finisher Josh Gracin also enjoyed some success as a country singer 77 Season 3 Edit Main article American Idol season 3 Fantasia Barrino the third season winner The third season premiered on January 19 2004 Ryan Seacrest returned as host and Randy Jackson Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell returned as judges One of the most talked about contestants during the audition process was William Hung whose off key rendition of Ricky Martin s She Bangs received widespread attention His exposure on Idol landed him a record deal and surprisingly he became the third bestselling singer from that season 78 Much media attention on the season had been focused on the three black singers Fantasia Barrino LaToya London and Jennifer Hudson dubbed the Three Divas All three unexpectedly landed on the bottom three on the top seven result show with Hudson controversially eliminated 79 Elton John who was one of the mentors that season called the results of the votes incredibly racist 80 The prolonged stays of John Stevens and Jasmine Trias in the finals despite negative comments from the judges had aroused resentment so much so that John Stevens reportedly received a death threat which he dismissed as a joke blown out of proportion 81 The performance of Summertime by Barrino later known simply as Fantasia at Top 8 was widely praised and Simon Cowell considered it as his favorite Idol moment in the nine seasons he was on the show 82 Fantasia and Diana DeGarmo were the last two finalists and Fantasia was crowned as the winner Fantasia released as her coronation single I Believe a song co written by the first season finalist Tamyra Gray and DeGarmo released Dreams Season 4 Edit Main article American Idol season 4 Carrie Underwood the fourth season winner The fourth season premiered on January 18 2005 Ryan Seacrest returned as host and Randy Jackson Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell returned as judges This was the first full season of the series to be aired in high definition the finale of the third season was also aired in high definition The number of those attending the auditions by now had increased to over 100 000 from the 10 000 of the first season The age limit was raised to 28 in this season 44 and among those who benefited from this new rule were Constantine Maroulis and Bo Bice the two rockers of the show The top 12 finalists originally included Mario Vazquez but he dropped out citing personal reasons 83 and was replaced by Nikko Smith Later an employee of Fremantle Media which produces the show sued the company for wrongful termination claiming that he was dismissed after complaining about lewd behavior by Vazquez toward him during the show 84 During the top 11 week due to a mix up with the contestants telephone number voting was repeated on what was normally the result night with the result reveal postponed until the following night In May 2005 Carrie Underwood was announced the winner with Bice the runner up Both Underwood and Bice released the coronation song Inside Your Heaven with Underwood s version of the song making her the first country artist ever to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart 85 As of 2015 Underwood has become the most successful Idol contestant in the U S 70 selling 16 million albums in the country 86 while selling a total of 65 million records worldwide 87 Season 5 Edit Main article American Idol season 5 Taylor Hicks the fifth season winner The fifth season began on January 17 2006 Ryan Seacrest returned as host and Randy Jackson Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell returned as judges It remains the highest rated season in the show s run so far Two of the more prominent contestants during the Hollywood round were the Brittenum twins who were later disqualified for identity theft 88 Chris Daughtry s performance of Fuel s Hemorrhage In My Hands on the show was widely praised and led to an invitation to join the band as Fuel s new lead singer an invitation he declined 89 His performance of Live s version of I Walk the Line was well received by the judges but later criticized in some quarters for not crediting the arrangement to Live 90 He was eliminated at the top four in a shocking result On May 30 2006 Taylor Hicks was named American Idol with Katharine McPhee the runner up Do I Make You Proud was released as Hicks first single and McPhee s was My Destiny Despite being eliminated earlier in the season Chris Daughtry as lead of the band Daughtry became the most successful recording artist from this season 91 Other contestants such as Hicks McPhee Bucky Covington Mandisa Kellie Pickler and Elliott Yamin have had varying levels of success Season 6 Edit Main article American Idol season 6 Jordin Sparks the sixth season winner The sixth season began on Tuesday January 16 2007 Ryan Seacrest returned as host and Randy Jackson Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell returned as judges The premiere drew a massive audience of 37 3 million viewers peaking in the last half hour with more than 41 million viewers 92 Teenager Sanjaya Malakar was the season s most talked about contestant for his unusual hairdo 93 and for managing to survive elimination for many weeks due in part to the weblog Vote for the Worst and satellite radio personality Howard Stern who both encouraged fans to vote for him However on the Top 7 results Sanjaya was voted off 94 This season saw the first Idol Gives Back telethon inspired event which raised more than 76 million in corporate and viewer donations 95 No contestant was eliminated that week but two Phil Stacey and Chris Richardson were eliminated the next In the May 23 season finale Jordin Sparks was declared the winner with the runner up being Blake Lewis Sparks has had some success as a recording artist post Idol citation needed This season also saw the launch of the American Idol Songwriter contest which allows fans to vote for the coronation song Thousands of recordings of original songs were submitted by songwriters and 20 entries selected for the public vote The winning song This Is My Now was performed by both finalists during the finale and released by Sparks on May 24 2007 96 Season 7 Edit Main article American Idol season 7 David Cook the seventh season winner The seventh season premiered on January 15 2008 for a two day four hour premiere Ryan Seacrest returned as host and Randy Jackson Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell returned as judges The media focused on the professional status of the seventh season contestants the so called ringers 97 many of whom including Kristy Lee Cook Brooke White Michael Johns and in particular Carly Smithson had prior recording contracts 98 Contestant David Hernandez also attracted some attention due to his past employment as a stripper 99 For the finals American Idol debuted a new state of the art set and stage on March 11 2008 along with a new on air look David Cook s performance of Billie Jean on top ten night was lauded by the judges but provoked controversy when they apparently mistook the Chris Cornell arrangement to be David Cook s own even though the performance was introduced as Cornell s version Cornell himself said he was flattered and praised David Cook s performance 100 David Cook was taken to the hospital after the top nine performance show due to heart palpitations and high blood pressure 101 David Archuleta s performance of John Lennon s Imagine was considered by many as one of the best of the season Jennifer Lopez who was brought in as a judge in the tenth season called it a beautiful song moment that she will never forget 102 Jason Castro s semi final performance of Hallelujah also received considerable attention and it propelled Jeff Buckley s version of the song to the top of the Billboard digital song chart 103 This was the first season in which contestants recordings were released onto iTunes after their performances and although sales information was not released so as not to prejudice the contest leaked information indicated that contestants songs frequently reached the top of iTunes sales charts 104 Idol Gives Back returned on April 9 2008 and raised 64 million for charity 95 The finalists were Cook and Archuleta David Cook was announced the winner on May 21 2008 the first rocker to win the show Both Cook and Archuleta had some success as recording artists with both selling over a million albums in the U S 91 The American Idol Songwriter contest was also held this season From ten of the most popular submissions each of the final two contestants chose a song to perform although neither of their selections was used as the coronation song The winning song The Time of My Life was recorded by David Cook and released on May 22 2008 Season 8 Edit Main article American Idol season 8 Kris Allen the eighth season winner The eighth season premiered on January 13 2009 Ryan Seacrest returned as host and Randy Jackson Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell returned as judges This season featured the first major change to the judging panel a fourth judge Kara DioGuardi was introduced Mike Darnell the president of alternative programming for Fox stated that the season would focus more on the contestants personal life 105 This was also the first season without executive producer Nigel Lythgoe who left to focus on the international versions of his show So You Think You Can Dance 106 The Hollywood round was moved to the Kodak Theatre for 2009 and was also extended to two weeks Idol Gives Back was canceled for this season due to the global recession at the time There were 13 finalists this season but two were eliminated in the first result show of the finals A new feature introduced was the Judges Save and Matt Giraud was saved from elimination at the top seven by the judges when he received the fewest votes The next week Lil Rounds and Anoop Desai were eliminated The two finalists were Kris Allen and Adam Lambert both of whom had previously landed in the bottom three at the top five Allen won the contest in the most controversial voting result since the second season It was claimed 107 and then later retracted 108 that 38 million of the 100 million votes cast on the night came from Allen s home state of Arkansas alone and that AT amp T employees unfairly influenced the votes by giving lessons on power texting at viewing parties in Arkansas 109 Both Allen and Lambert released the coronation song No Boundaries which was co written by DioGuardi This is the first season in which the winner failed to achieve gold album status 110 Season 9 Edit Main article American Idol season 9 Lee DeWyze the ninth season winner The ninth season premiered on January 12 2010 Ryan Seacrest returned as host and Randy Jackson Kara DioGuardi and Simon Cowell returned as judges Paula Abdul left the show and Ellen DeGeneres replaced Abdul at the start of Hollywood Week One of the most prominent auditioners this season was General Larry Platt whose performance of Pants on the Ground became a viral hit song 111 Crystal Bowersox who has Type I diabetes fell ill due to diabetic ketoacidosis on the morning of the girls performance night for the top 20 week and was hospitalized 112 The schedule was rearranged so the boys performed first and she could perform the following night instead she later revealed that Ken Warwick the show producer wanted to disqualify her but she begged to be allowed to stay on the show 112 Michael Lynche was the lowest vote getter at top nine and was given the Judges Save The next week Katie Stevens and Andrew Garcia were eliminated That week Adam Lambert was invited back to be a mentor the first Idol alum to do so Idol Gives Back returned this season on April 21 2010 and raised 45 million 95 A special tribute to Simon Cowell was presented in the finale for his final season with the show Many figures from the show s past including Paula Abdul made an appearance The final two contestants were Lee DeWyze and Bowersox DeWyze was declared the winner during the May 26 finale No new song was used as coronation song this year instead the two finalists each released a cover song DeWyze chose U2 s Beautiful Day and Bowersox chose Patty Griffin s Up to the Mountain This is the first season where neither finalist achieved significant album sales 113 Season 10 Edit Main article American Idol season 10 Scotty McCreery the tenth season winner The tenth season premiered on January 19 2011 Ryan Seacrest returned as host and Randy Jackson returned as a judge Many changes were introduced this season from the format to the personnel of the show Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler joined Randy Jackson as judges following the departures of Simon Cowell who left to launch the American version of The X Factor Kara DioGuardi whose contract was not renewed and Ellen DeGeneres 28 Randy Jackson was the only judge from the ninth season to return for the tenth Nigel Lythgoe returned as executive producer Jimmy Iovine chairman of the Interscope Geffen A amp M label group the new partner of American Idol acted as the in house mentor in place of weekly guest mentors 28 although in later episodes special guest mentors such as Beyonce will i am and Lady Gaga were brought in The tenth season is the first to include online auditions where contestants could submit a 40 second video audition via Myspace 114 Karen Rodriguez was one such auditioner and reached the final rounds One of the more prominent contestants this year was Chris Medina whose story of caring for his brain damaged fiancee received widespread coverage 115 Medina was cut in the Top 40 round Casey Abrams who suffers from ulcerative colitis was hospitalized twice and missed the Top 13 result show The judges used their one save on Abrams on the Top 11 and as a result this was the first season that 11 finalists went on tour instead of 10 In the following week Naima Adedapo and Thia Megia were both eliminated Pia Toscano one of the presumed favorites to advance far in the season was unexpectedly eliminated on April 7 2011 finishing in ninth place Her elimination drew criticisms from some former Idol contestants as well as actor Tom Hanks 116 After Idol Jennifer Lopez helped guide her career 117 The two finalists in 2011 were Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery both teenage country singers McCreery won the competition on May 25 being the youngest male winner and the fourth male in a row to win American Idol McCreery released his first single I Love You This Big as his coronation song and Alaina released Like My Mother Does McCreery s debut album Clear as Day became the first debut album by an Idol winner to reach No 1 on the US Billboard 200 since Ruben Studdard s Soulful in 2003 and he became the youngest male artist to reach No 1 on the Billboard 200 118 Season 11 Edit Main article American Idol season 11 Phillip Phillips the eleventh season winner The eleventh season premiered on January 18 2012 Ryan Seacrest returned as host and Steven Tyler Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson returned as judges One more finalist would join the Top 24 making it the Top 25 which was later revealed to be Jermaine Jones However on March 14 Jones was disqualified in 12th place for concealing arrests and outstanding warrants Jones denied the accusation that he concealed his arrests 119 Finalist Phillip Phillips suffered from kidney pain and was taken to the hospital before the Top 13 results show and later received medical procedure to alleviate a blockage caused by kidney stones 120 He was reported to have eight surgeries during his Idol run and had considered quitting the show due to the pain 121 He underwent surgery to remove the stones and reconstruct his kidney soon after the season had finished 122 Jessica Sanchez received the fewest votes during the Top 7 week and the judges decided to use their save option on her making her the first female recipient of the save The following week unlike previous seasons Colton Dixon was the only contestant sent home Sanchez later made the final two the first season where a recipient of the save reached the finale Phillips became the winner beating Sanchez During the finale fifth season finalist Ace Young proposed marriage to third season runner up Diana DeGarmo on stage which she accepted 123 Phillips released Home as his coronation song while Sanchez released Change Nothing Phillips Home has since become the best selling of all coronation songs with over 5 million copies sold 124 125 Season 12 Edit Main article American Idol season 12 Candice Glover the twelfth season winner The twelfth season premiered on January 16 2013 Ryan Seacrest returned as host and Randy Jackson returned as a judge Judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler left the show after two seasons Randy Jackson was the only judge from the eleventh season to return for the twelfth This season s judging panel consisted of Randy Jackson along with Mariah Carey Keith Urban and Nicki Minaj This was the first season since the ninth season to have four judges on the panel The pre season buzz and the early episodes of the show were dominated by the feud between the judges Minaj and Carey after a video of their dispute was leaked to TMZ 126 The top 10 contestants started with five males and five females however the males were eliminated consecutively in the first five weeks with Lazaro Arbos the last male to be eliminated For the first time in the show s history the top 5 contestants were all female It was also the first time that the judges save was not used the top four contestants were therefore given an extra week to perform again with their votes carried over with no elimination in the first week 23 year old Candice Glover won the season with Kree Harrison taking the runner up spot Glover is the first female to win American Idol since Jordin Sparks Glover released I Am Beautiful as a single while Harrison released All Cried Out immediately after the show Glover sold poorly with her debut album and this is also the first season that the runner up was not signed by a music label 127 Towards the end of the season Randy Jackson the last remaining of the original judges would no longer serve as a judge to pursue other business ventures 32 Both judges Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj also decided to leave after one season to focus on their music careers 31 Season 13 Edit Main article American Idol season 13 Caleb Johnson the thirteenth season winner The thirteenth season premiered on January 15 2014 Ryan Seacrest returned as host and Keith Urban returned as a judge Urban was the only judge from the twelfth season to return as a judge for the thirteenth season Randy Jackson returned though Jackson moved from the judging panel to the role of in mentor Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj left the panel after one season Former judge Jennifer Lopez and former mentor Harry Connick Jr joined Urban on the panel Connick Jr served as a mentor for Idol in 2010 and 2012 128 Also Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick were replaced as executive producers by Per Blankens Jesse Ignjatovic and Evan Pragger Bill DeRonde replaced Warwick as a director of the audition episodes while Louis J Horvitz replaced Gregg Gelfand as a director of the show 129 This was the first season where the contestants were permitted to perform in the final rounds songs they wrote themselves In the Top 8 Sam Woolf received the fewest votes but he was saved from elimination by the judges The 500th episode of the series was the Top 3 performance night 130 Caleb Johnson was named the winner of the season with Jena Irene as the runner up 131 Johnson released As Long as You Love Me as his coronation single while Irene released We Are One 132 Season 14 Edit Main article American Idol season 14 Nick Fradiani the fourteenth season winner The fourteenth season premiered on January 7 2015 Ryan Seacrest returned as host and Jennifer Lopez Keith Urban and Harry Connick Jr returned for their respective fourth third and second seasons as judges Eighth season runner up Adam Lambert filled in for Urban during the New York City auditions Randy Jackson did not return as the in house mentor and left the show permanently 133 Scott Borchetta replaced Jackson as the mentor Changes this season include only airing one episode a week during the final ten 134 Coca Cola ended their longtime sponsorship of the show 135 and Ford Motor Company maintained a reduced role The winner of the season also received a recording contract with Big Machine Records Nick Fradiani won the season defeating Clark Beckham Fradiani became the first winner from the Northeast region Fradiani released Beautiful Life as his coronation single while Beckham released Champion Jax the third place finalist also released a single called Forcefield Season 15 Edit Main article American Idol season 15 Trent Harmon the fifteenth season winner Fox announced on May 11 2015 that the fifteenth season would be the final season of American Idol as such the season was expected to have an additional focus on the program s alumni Ryan Seacrest returned as host with Harry Connick Jr Keith Urban and Jennifer Lopez all returning as judges 17 The fifteenth season premiered on January 6 2016 The season was shortened by four weeks compared to previous years 136 During the finale episode President Barack Obama praised the millions of young people that voted for contestants and pitched that they vote in the upcoming election The farewell season concluded on April 7 2016 Seacrest signed off by saying And one more time this is so tough we say to you from Hollywood goodnight America and then he added for now 137 Trent Harmon won the season against runner up La Porsha Renae Harmon released Falling co written by Keith Urban as his coronation song 138 Renae s Battles third place finisher Dalton Rapattoni s Strike A Match and fourth place finisher MacKenzie Bourg s Roses were also released as singles 139 140 2018 present ABC revival Edit In early 2017 Variety reported that Fremantle Media was in talks to revive the show for NBC or for its original network Fox 141 A dispute between Fremantle and Core Media Group derailed these plans 142 In May 2017 ABC was making a bid to revive the program 143 ABC acquired the rights to the series and American Idol returned for the 2017 18 television season 144 145 Season 16 Edit Main article American Idol season 16 Maddie Poppe the sixteenth season winner The sixteenth season premiered on March 11 2018 20 This was the first season of American Idol to air on ABC In July 2017 it was announced that Ryan Seacrest would return as host 146 and by September 2017 it was revealed that Katy Perry 36 Luke Bryan 37 and Lionel Richie would serve as judges 38 147 The season was again shortened compared to the previous season to twelve weeks with multiple elimination in the final rounds Unlike previous seasons where only two finalists remained in the final episode three finalists performed in the finale On May 21 2018 the season concluded with Maddie Poppe crowned the winner beating Caleb Lee Hutchinson as runner up and Gabby Barrett in third place Her winning song was Going Going Gone Caleb Lee Hutchinson released Johnny Cash Heart as a single while Gabby Barrett s song was Rivers Deep 148 Season 17 Edit Main article American Idol season 17 Laine Hardy the seventeenth season winner ABC renewed the revival series for another season Seacrest returned as host and Bryan Perry and Richie returned as judges 149 The seventeenth season premiered on March 3 2019 For the finale the show no longer features separate performance and result shows On May 19 2019 the season concluded with three finalists with Madison VanDenburg eliminated in third place after performing two songs and the final two performing their last song For the first time there were no separate performance and grand finale shows this season Laine Hardy was crowned the winner and Alejandro Aranda runner up Hardy released a single Flame immediately after the win but Aranda did not 150 151 However Aranda later released a song he performed in the finale Tonight under the name Scarypoolparty on June 28 2019 152 Season 18 Edit Main article American Idol season 18 On May 13 2019 the series was renewed for an eighteenth season and premiered on February 16 2020 153 154 Seacrest returned as host and Bryan Perry and Richie returned as judges 155 For the first time due to the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic from the top 20 to the finale the contestants performed in their own homes while Ryan Seacrest hosted the show remotely in his own home in Los Angeles with the judges also in their respective homes 60 156 The season was also further truncated with the top 5 performing in the finale Each finalist also performed only two songs for the finale 157 Just Sam was crowned the winner with Arthur Gunn finishing as the runner up 158 Rise Up the song Just Sam performed for their audition and reprised on the finale was released as their debut song 159 160 Season 19 Edit Main article American Idol season 19 On May 15 2020 ABC renewed the series for a nineteenth season 161 Seacrest returned as host and Bryan Perry and Richie returned as judges 162 Later in October it was announced that Bobby Bones will return as mentor On November 10 they announced the season will premiere on February 14 2021 163 Chayce Beckham was crowned the winner while Willie Spence finished as the runner up 23 the song Chayce Beckham wrote and performed for Top 4 was released as his debut song 21 Season 20 Edit Main article American Idol season 20 On May 13 2021 ABC renewed the series for a twentieth season 164 Seacrest returned as host and Bryan Perry and Richie returned as judges 165 On December 2 they announced the season will premiere on February 27 2022 166 On December 31 it was announced that Bones would not be returning as a mentor 167 Noah Thompson was crowned the winner with HunterGirl finishing as the runner up One Day Tonight the song Noah Thompson performed for the Grand Finale was released as his debut song Season 21 Edit On May 13 2022 ABC renewed the series for a twenty first season 168 In July 2022 it was announced that Seacrest would be returning as host and that Bryan Perry and Richie would again be judges On November 7 it was announced that Season 21 will premiere on February 19 2023 169 Reception EditU S television ratings Edit Seasonal rankings based on average total viewers per episode of American Idol It holds the distinction of having the longest winning streak in the Nielsen annual television ratings it became the highest rated of all television programs in the United States overall for an unprecedented seven consecutive years 170 or eight consecutive and total years when either its performance or result show was ranked number one overall 5 Each U S network television season starts in late September and ends in late May which coincides with the completion of May sweeps Network Season Premiered Ended TV season Timeslot ET Seasonviewers SeasonrankingDate Viewers in millions Date Viewers in millions Fox 1 171 172 173 June 11 2002 9 85 Final Performances September 3 2002 18 69 2001 02 Tuesday 9 00 pm performance 12 22 N ASeason Finale September 4 2002 23 02 Wednesday 9 30 pm results 11 62 N A2 171 172 174 January 21 2003 26 50 Final Performances May 20 2003 25 67 2002 03 Tuesday 8 00 pm performance 21 03 175 4Season Finale May 21 2003 38 06 Wednesday 8 30 pm results 19 63 175 73 171 172 176 January 19 2004 28 96 Final Performances May 25 2004 25 13 2003 04 Tuesday 8 00 pm performance 25 73 177 1Season Finale May 26 2004 28 84 Wednesday 8 30 pm results 24 31 177 34 171 172 178 January 18 2005 33 58 Final Performances May 24 2005 28 05 2004 05 Tuesday 8 00 pm performance 27 32 179 1Season Finale May 25 2005 30 27 Wednesday 8 00 pm results 26 07 179 35 171 172 180 January 17 2006 35 53 Final Performances May 23 2006 31 78 2005 06 Tuesday 8 00 pm performance 31 17 181 1Season Finale May 24 2006 36 38 Wednesday 8 00 pm results 30 16 181 26 171 172 182 January 16 2007 37 44 Final Performances May 22 2007 25 33 2006 07 Tuesday 8 00 pm performance 30 11 183 2Season Finale May 23 2007 30 76 Wednesday 8 00 pm results 30 58 183 17 171 184 185 January 15 2008 33 48 Final Performances May 20 2008 27 06 2007 08 Tuesday 8 00 pm performance 28 80 186 1Season Finale May 21 2008 31 66 Wednesday 8 00 pm results 27 81 186 28 171 187 188 January 13 2009 30 45 Final Performances May 19 2009 23 82 2008 09 Tuesday 8 00 pm performance 26 25 189 2Season Finale May 20 2009 28 84 Wednesday 8 00 pm results 26 77 189 19 171 190 191 January 12 2010 29 95 Final Performances May 25 2010 20 07 2009 10 Tuesday 8 00 pm performance 22 97 192 1Season Finale May 26 2010 24 22 Wednesday 8 00 pm results 21 95 192 210 193 194 195 January 19 2011 26 23 Final Performances May 24 2011 Tues 20 57 2010 11 Wednesday 8 00 pm performance 25 97 196 1Season Finale May 25 2011 Wed 29 29 Thursday 8 00 pm results 23 87 196 211 197 198 199 January 18 2012 21 93 Final Performances May 22 2012 Tues 14 85 2011 12 Wednesday 8 00 pm performance 19 81 200 2Season Finale May 23 2012 Wed 21 49 Thursday 8 00 pm results 18 33 200 412 201 202 203 January 16 2013 17 93 Final Performances May 15 2013 12 11 2012 13 Wednesday 8 00 pm performance 15 04 204 7Season Finale May 16 2013 14 31 Thursday 8 00 pm results 14 65 204 913 205 206 207 January 15 2014 15 19 Final Performances May 20 2014 Tues 6 76 2013 14 Wednesday 8 00 pm performance 11 94 208 17Season Finale May 21 2014 Wed 10 53 Thursday 8 00 pm results 11 43 208 2214 209 210 211 January 7 2015 11 20 Final Performances May 12 2015 Tues 5 55 2014 15 Wednesday 8 00 pm 10 31 212 41Season Finale May 13 2015 Wed 8 03 Thursday 8 00 pm until March 12 11 55 212 2815 213 214 215 January 6 2016 10 96 Final Performances April 6 2016 9 70 2015 16 Wednesday 8 00 pm until February 24 11 52 216 19Season Finale April 7 2016 13 30 Thursday 8 00 pm 11 13 216 23ABC 16 217 218 219 March 11 2018 10 48 Final Performances May 20 2018 7 47 2017 18 Sunday 8 00 pm 9 57 220 31Season Finale May 21 2018 8 63 Monday 8 00 pm until April 23 9 51 220 3217 221 222 March 3 2019 8 65 Final Performances Season Finale May 19 2019 8 74 2018 19 Sunday 8 00 pm 9 10 223 32Monday 8 00 pm until April 22 8 00 223 4218 224 225 February 16 2020 8 07 Final Performances Season Finale May 17 2020 7 28 2019 20 Sunday 8 00 pm 8 34 226 32Monday 8 00 pm until March 23 8 54 226 3019 227 228 February 14 2021 6 95 Final Performances Season Finale May 23 2021 6 50 2020 21 Sunday 8 00 pm 7 42 229 25Monday 8 00 pm until April 19 6 24 229 3920 230 231 February 27 2022 6 30 Final Performances Season Finale May 22 2022 6 49 2021 22 Sunday 8 00 pm 7 29 232 25Monday 8 00 pm until May 2 6 99 232 28American Idol premiered in June 2002 and became the surprise summer hit show of 2002 The first show drew 9 9 million viewers giving Fox the best viewing figure for the 8 30 pm spot in over a year 233 The audience steadily grew and by finale night the audience had averaged 23 million with more than 40 million watching some part of that show 234 That episode was placed third amongst all age groups but more importantly it led in the 18 49 demographic the age group most valued by advertisers 12 The growth continued into the next season starting with a season premiere of 26 5 million 171 The season attracted an average of 21 7 million viewers and was placed second overall amongst the 18 49 age group 235 The finale night when Ruben Studdard won over Clay Aiken was also the highest rated ever American Idol episode at 38 1 million for the final hour 236 By the third season the show had become the top show in the 18 49 demographic 236 a position it has held for all subsequent years up to and including the tenth season and its competition stages ranked first in the nationwide overall ratings By the fourth season American Idol had become the most watched series amongst all viewers on American TV for the first time with an average viewership of 26 8 million 237 The show reached its peak in the fifth season with numbers averaging 30 6 million per episode and this season remains the highest rated of the series 237 The sixth season premiered with the series highest rated debut episode and a few of its succeeding episodes rank among the most watched episodes of American Idol During this time many television executives begun to regard the show as a programming force unlike any seen before 3 as its consistent dominance of up to two hours two or three nights a week exceeded the 30 or 60 minute reach of previous hits such as NBC s The Cosby Show The show was dubbed the Death Star 92 and competing networks often rearranged their schedules in order to minimize losses 3 However the sixth season also showed a steady decline in viewership over the course of the season The season finale saw a drop in ratings of 16 from the previous year The sixth season was the first season wherein the average results show rated higher than the competition stages unlike in the previous seasons and became the second highest rated of the series after the preceding season 236 The loss of viewers continued into the seventh season The premiere was down 11 among total viewers 171 and the results show in which Kristy Lee Cook was eliminated delivered its lowest rated Wednesday show among the 18 34 demo since the first season in 2002 238 However the ratings rebounded for the seventh season finale with the excitement over the battle of the Davids and improved over the sixth season as the series third most watched finale The strong finish of season seven also helped Fox become the most watched TV network in the country for the first time since its inception a first ever in American television history for a non Big Three major broadcast network 239 Overall ratings for the season were down 10 from the sixth season 240 which is in line with the fall in viewership across all networks due in part to the 2007 2008 Writers Guild of America strike 241 The declining trend however continued into the eighth season as total viewers numbers fell by 5 10 for early episodes compared to the seventh season 242 and by 9 for the finale 172 In the ninth season Idol s six year extended streak of perfection in the ratings was broken when NBC s coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics on February 17 beat Idol in the same time slot with 30 1 million viewers over Idol s 18 4 million 243 Nevertheless American Idol overall finished its ninth season as the most watched TV series for the sixth year running breaking the previous record of five consecutive seasons achieved by CBS All in the Family and NBC s The Cosby Show 244 In the tenth season the total viewer numbers for the first week of shows fell 12 13 and by up to 23 in the 18 49 demo compared to the ninth season 193 Later episodes however retained viewers better and the season ended on a high with a significant increase in viewership for the finale up 12 for the adults 18 49 demographic and a 21 increase in total viewers from the ninth season finale 245 While the overall viewer number has increased this season its viewer demographics have continued to age year on year the median age this season was 47 2 compared to a median age of 32 1 in its first season 246 The demographics also became whiter over time and less diverse 247 Nevertheless in the 2010 11 television season Fox maintained its lead on over other networks with its seventh consecutive season of victory overall in the 18 49 demographic ratings in the United States The eleventh season however suffered a steep drop in ratings a drop attributed by some to the arrival of new shows such as The Voice and The X Factor 248 The ratings for the first two episodes of the eleventh season fell 16 21 in overall viewer numbers and 24 27 in the 18 49 demo 197 while the season finale fell 27 in total viewer number and 30 in the 18 49 demo 198 The average viewership for the season fell below 20 million viewers the first time since 2003 a drop of 23 in total viewers and 30 in the 18 49 demo For the first time in eight years American Idol lost the leading position in both the total viewers number and the 18 49 demo coming in second to NBC Sunday Night Football although the strengths of Idol in its second year in the Wednesday Thursday primetime slots helped Fox achieve the longest period of 18 49 demographic victory in the Nielsen ratings standing at 8 straight years from 2004 to 2012 199 The loss of viewers continued into the twelfth season which saw the show hitting a number of series low in the 18 49 demo 249 The finale had 7 2 million fewer viewers than the previous season and saw a drop of 44 in the 18 49 demo 250 The season viewers averaged at 13 3 million a drop of 24 from the previous season 251 The thirteenth season suffered a huge decline in the 18 49 demographic a drop of 28 from the twelfth season and American Idol lost its Top 10 position in the Nielsen ratings by the end of the 2013 14 television season for the first time since its entry to the rankings in 2003 as a result and never regained its Top 10 position by the series end in 2016 34 The continuing decline influenced further changes for the fourteenth season including the loss of Coca Cola as the show s major sponsor and a decision to only broadcast one two hour show per week during the top 12 rounds with results from the previous week integrated into the performance show rather than having a separate results show 252 35 253 On May 11 2015 prior to the fourteenth season finale Fox announced that the fifteenth season of American Idol would be its last 17 Despite these changes the show s ratings would decline more sharply The fourteenth season finale was the lowest rated finale ever with an average of only 8 03 million viewers watching the finale The show s ratings however rebounded in its final season and ended its run in 2016 as Fox s first ever program to conclude its run without dropping from the Nielsen Top 30 most watched television shows in each of its seasons For the revived series on ABC the ratings were lower but remained stable compared to previous seasons on Fox The finale of the seventeenth season was slightly more watched than the sixteenth 254 Critical reception Edit Early reviews were mixed in their assessment Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly considered that As TV American Idol is crazily entertaining as music it s dust mote inconsequential 255 Others however thought that the most striking aspect of the series was the genuine talent it revealed 12 It was also described as a sadistic musical bake off 256 and a romp in humiliation 257 Other aspects of the show have attracted criticisms The product placement in the show in particular was noted 258 and some critics were harsh about what they perceived as its blatant commercial calculations Karla Peterson of The San Diego Union Tribune charged that American Idol is a conniving multimedia monster that has absorbed the sin of our debauched culture and spit them out in a lump of reconstituted evil 259 The decision to send the first season winner to sing the national anthem at the Lincoln Memorial on the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks in 2002 was also poorly received by many Lisa de Moraes of The Washington Post noted sarcastically that The terrorists have won and with a sideswipe at the show s commercialism and voting process that the decision as to who gets to turn this important site into just another cog in the Great American Idol Marketing Mandala is in the hands of the millions of girls who have made American Idol a hit Them and a handful of phone redialer geeks who have been clocking up to 10 000 calls each week for their contestant of choice but who according to Fox are in absolutely no way skewing the outcome 260 Some of the later writers about the show were more positive Michael Slezak again of Entertainment Weekly thought that for all its bloated synthetic product shilling money making trappings Idol provides a once a year chance for the average American to combat the evils of today s music business 261 Singer Sheryl Crow who was later to act as a mentor on the show however took the view that the show undermines art in every way and promotes commercialism 262 Pop music critic Ann Powers nevertheless suggested that Idol has reshaped the American songbook led us toward a new way of viewing ourselves in relationship to mainstream popular culture and connects the classic Hollywood dream to the multicentered popular culture of the future 263 Others focused on the personalities in the show Ramin Setoodeh of Newsweek accused judge Simon Cowell s cruel critiques in the show of helping to establish in the wider world a culture of meanness that Simon Cowell has dragged the rest of us in the mud with him 264 Some such as singer John Mayer disparaged the contestants suggesting that those who appeared on Idol are not real artists with self respect 265 Some in the entertainment industry were critical of the star making aspect of the show Usher a mentor on the show bemoaning the loss of the true art form of music thought that shows like American Idol made it seem so easy that everyone can do it and that it can happen overnight and that television is a lie 266 Musician Michael Feinstein while acknowledging that the show had uncovered promising performers said that American Idol isn t really about music It s about all the bad aspects of the music business the arrogance of commerce this sense of I know what will make this person a star artists themselves don t know 267 That American Idol is seen to be a fast track to success for its contestants has been a cause of resentment for some in the industry LeAnn Rimes commenting on Carrie Underwood winning Best Female Artist in Country Music Awards over Faith Hill in 2006 said that Carrie has not paid her dues long enough to fully deserve that award 268 It is a common theme that has been echoed by many others Elton John who had appeared as a mentor in the show but turned down an offer to be a judge on American Idol commenting on talent shows in general said that there have been some good acts but the only way to sustain a career is to pay your dues in small clubs 269 American Idol revolutionized American pop culture and the pop idol process and has provided an opportunity for many to bypass the small club scene and allow a much larger audience to participate in and select the next potential chart topping performer 270 The success of the show s alumni however has led to a more positive assessment of the show and the show was described as having proven it has a valid way to pick talent and a proven way to sell records 271 While the industry is divided on the show success its impact is felt particularly strongly in the country music format 272 According to a CMT exec reflecting on the success of Idol alumni in the country genre if you want to try and get famous fast by going to a cattle call audition on TV Idol reasonably remains the first choice for anyone and that country music and Idol go together well 273 American Idol was nominated for the Emmy s Outstanding Reality Competition Program for nine years but never won 274 Director Bruce Gower won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing For A Variety Music Or Comedy Series in 2009 and the show won a Creative Arts Emmys each in 2007 and 2008 three in 2009 and two in 2011 as well as a Governor s Award in 2007 for its Idol Gives Back edition It won the People s Choice Award which honors the popular culture of the previous year as voted by the public for favorite competition reality show in 2005 2006 2007 2010 2011 and 2012 275 It won the first Critics Choice Television Award in 2011 for Best Reality Competition 276 In 2013 TV Guide ranked the series No 48 on its list of the 60 Best Series of All Time 277 Geographical ethnic and gender bias Edit Throughout the series twelve of the seventeen Idol winners including its first five had come from the Southern United States 278 A large number of other finalists during the series run have also hailed from the American South including Clay Aiken Kellie Pickler and Chris Daughtry 278 who are all from North Carolina In 2012 an analysis of the 131 contestants who have appeared in the finals of all seasons of the show up to that point found that 48 have some connection to the Southern United States 279 The show itself was popular in the Southern United States with households in the Southeastern United States 10 more likely to watch American Idol during the eighth season in 2009 and those in the East Central region such as Kentucky were 16 percent more likely to tune into the series 278 Data from Nielsen SoundScan a music sales tracking service showed that of the 47 million CDs sold by Idol contestants through January 2010 85 percent were by contestants with ties to the American South 278 Theories given for the success of Southerners on Idol have been more versatility with musical genres as the Southern U S is home to several music genre scenes not having as many opportunities to break into the pop music business text voting due to the South having the highest percentage of cell phone only households and the strong heritage of music and singing which is notable in the Bible Belt where it is in church that many people get their start in public singing 278 280 281 Others also suggest that the Southern character of these contestants appeal to the South as well as local pride 282 According to fifth season winner Taylor Hicks who is from the state of Alabama People in the South have a lot of pride So they re adamant about supporting the contestants who do well from their state or region 278 For five consecutive seasons starting in the seventh season the title was given to a white male who plays the guitar a trend that Idol pundits call the White guy with guitar or WGWG factor 283 Just hours before the eleventh season finale where Phillip Phillips was named the winner Richard Rushfield author of the book American Idol The Untold Story said You have this alliance between young girls and grandmas and they see it not necessarily as a contest to create a pop star competing on the contemporary radio but as who s the nicest guy in a popularity contest he says And that has led to this dynasty of four and possibly now five consecutive affable very nice good looking white boys 283 Controversy EditMain article American Idol controversies The show was criticized in earlier seasons over the onerous contract contestants had to sign that gave excessive control to 19 Entertainment over their future careers 284 and handed a large part of their future earnings to the management 285 286 Individual contestants have generated controversy in this competition for their past actions 74 287 or for being ringers planted by the producers 97 A number of contestants have been disqualified for various reasons such as for having an existing contract or undisclosed criminal record although the show has also been accused of a double standard for disqualifying some but not others 288 Voting results have been a consistent source of controversy The mechanism of voting has aroused considerable criticism most notably in the second season when Ruben Studdard beat Clay Aiken in a close vote 75 and in the eighth season when the massive increase in text votes 57 fueled the texting controversy 109 Concerns about power voting have been expressed from the first season 289 Since 2004 votes also have been affected to a limited degree by online communities such as DialIdol and Vote for the Worst citation needed Cultural impact EditTelevision Edit The enormous success of the show and the revenue it generated were transformative for the Fox Broadcasting Company American Idol and other shows such as Survivor and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire were credited for expanding reality television programming in the United States in the 1990s and 2000s and Idol became the most watched non scripted primetime television series which it remained for almost a decade from 2003 to 2012 breaking records on U S television dominated by drama shows and sitcoms in the preceding decades 290 The show pushed Fox to become the number one U S TV network among adults aged 18 49 291 the key demographic coveted by advertisers for an unprecedented eight consecutive years by 2012 292 Its success also helped lift the ratings of other shows that were scheduled around it such as House and Bones and Idol for years was Fox s strongest platform primetime television program for promoting eventual hit shows of the 2010s of the same network such as Glee New Girl and Empire 3 The show its creator Simon Fuller claimed saved Fox 293 The show s massive success in the mid 2000s to early 2010s spawned a number of imitating singing competition shows such as Rock Star Nashville Star The Voice Rising Star The Sing Off and The X Factor 294 295 The number of imitative singing shows on American television had reached 17 by 2016 296 Its format also served as a blueprint for non singing TV shows such as Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance most of which contribute to the current highly competitive reality TV landscape on American television 297 Music Edit Main articles American Idol alumni album sales and American Idol alumni single sales As one of the most successful shows on U S television history American Idol has had a strong impact not just on television but also in the wider world of entertainment 298 299 It helped create a number of highly successful recording artists such as Kelly Clarkson Daughtry and Carrie Underwood as well as others of varying notability The alumni of the show have received between them 54 Grammy nominations and 13 Grammy awards by 2016 with Carrie Underwood winning seven 300 301 Various American Idol alumni had success on various record charts around the world in the U S they had achieved 345 number ones on the Billboard charts in its first 10 years 4 and 458 by its last year of broadcast in 2016 with 100 achieved by Kelly Clarkson alone 302 According to Fred Bronson author of books on the Billboard charts no other entity has ever created as many hit making artists and bestselling albums and singles 303 In 2007 American Idol alums accounted for 2 1 of all music sales 304 Its alumni have a massive impact on radio in 2007 American Idol had become a dominant force in radio according to Rich Meyer president of the radio station monitoring research company Mediabase 305 By 2010 four winners each had more than a million radio spins with Kelly Clarkson leading the field with over four million spins 306 At the end of the show s run on Fox in 2016 Idol s contestants have sold more than 60 million albums in the US resulting in more than 80 Platinum records and 95 Gold records Its participants have generated more than 450 Billboard No 1 hits and sold more than 260 million digital downloads 307 Film and theater Edit Main article American Idol alumni in film television and theater The impact of American Idol was also strongly felt in musical theater where many of Idol alumni have forged successful careers The striking effect of former American Idol contestants on Broadway has been noted and commented on 308 309 The casting of a popular Idol contestant can lead to significantly increased ticket sales Other alumni have gone on to work in television and films the most notable being Jennifer Hudson who on the recommendation of the Idol vocal coach Debra Byrd 310 won a role in Dreamgirls and eventually went on to win an Academy Award for her performance She later became the show s first and only alumnus ever to win the EGOT Emmy Grammy Oscar Tony In 2007 a musical based on the show Idol The Musical played off Broadway 311 The musical closed after its official opening night 312 Revenue and commercial ventures Edit The American Idol Experience marquee sign The dominance of American Idol in the ratings had made it the most profitable show in U S TV for many years The show was estimated to generate 900 million for the year 2004 through sales of TV ads albums merchandise and concert tickets 293 By the seventh season the show was estimated to earn around 900 million from its ad revenue alone not including ancillary sponsorship deals and other income 313 314 One estimate puts the total TV revenue for the first eight seasons of American at 6 4 billion 315 Sponsors that bought fully integrated packages can expect a variety of promotions of their products on the show such as product placement adverts and product promotion integrated into the show and various promotional opportunities 316 Other off air promotional partners pay for the rights to feature Idol branding on their packaging products and marketing programs 317 American Idol also partnered with Disney in its theme park attraction The American Idol Experience Advertising revenue Edit American Idol became the most expensive series on broadcast networks for advertisers starting the fourth season 318 and by the next season it had broken the record in advertising rate for a regularly scheduled prime time network series selling over 700 000 for a 30 seconds slot 319 and reaching up to 1 3 million for the finale 320 Its ad prices reached a peak in the seventh season at 737 000 314 Estimated revenue more than doubled from 404 million in the third season to 870 million in the sixth season 321 While that declined from the eighth season onwards it still earned significantly more than its nearest competitor 322 323 with advertising revenue topping 800 million annually the next few seasons 324 However the sharp drop in ratings in the eleventh season also resulted in a sharp drop in advertising rate for the twelfth season and the show lost its leading position as the costliest show for advertisers 325 By 2014 ad revenue from had fallen to 427 million where a 30 second spot went for less than 300 000 326 For the relaunched Idol on ABC it has been reported that a 30 second spot may cost between 120 000 160 000 327 Media sponsorship Edit Ford Motor Company and Coca Cola were two of the first sponsors of American Idol in its first season The sponsorship deal cost around 10 million in the first season 328 rising to 35 million by the seventh season 317 and between 50 to 60 million in the tenth season 329 The third major sponsor AT amp T Wireless joined in the second season but ended after the twelfth season and Coca Cola officially ended its sponsorship after the thirteenth season amidst the declining ratings of Idol in the mid 2010s iTunes sponsored the show since the seventh season American Idol prominent display of its sponsors logo and products had been noted since the early seasons 12 234 By the sixth season Idol showed 4 349 product placements according to Nielsen Media Research 330 The branded entertainment integration proved beneficial to its advertisers promotion of AT amp T text messaging as a means to vote successfully introduced the technology into the wider culture 56 331 and Coca Cola has seen its equity increased during the show 332 Coca Cola Cups bearing logo of Coca Cola and occasionally its subsidiary Vitaminwater 333 are featured prominently on the judges table Contestants are shown between songs held in the Coca Cola Red Room the show s equivalent of the green room The Coca Cola logo however is obscured during rebroadcast in the UK which until 2011 banned product placement 334 Ford Contestants appear in the special Ford videos on the results shows and winners Kelly Clarkson Taylor Hicks and Kris Allen have also appeared in commercials for Ford 316 The final two each won a free Ford Mustang in the fourth through sixth seasons Ford Escape Hybrid in the seventh season Ford Fusion Hybrid in the eighth season Ford Fiesta in the ninth season and 2013 Ford Fusion in the eleventh season In the tenth season Scotty McCreery chose a Ford F 150 and Lauren Alaina chose Shelby Mustang In the red room there is a glass table with a Ford wheel as its base AT amp T AT amp T Mobility is promoted as the service provider for text voting AT amp T created an ad campaign that centered on an air headed teenager going around telling people to vote Apple iTunes Ryan Seacrest announces the availability of contestants performances exclusively via iTunes Videos are regularly shown of contestants learning their songs by rehearsing with iPods Previous sponsors include Old Navy and Clairol s Herbal Essences In the second and third seasons contestants sometimes donned Old Navy clothing for their performances with celebrity stylist Steven Cojocaru assisting with their wardrobe selection 335 and contestants received Clairol guided hair makeovers In the seventh season finale both David Cook and David Archuleta appeared in Risky Business inspired commercials for Guitar Hero a sponsor of the tour that year Coca Cola s archrival PepsiCo declined to sponsor American Idol at the show s start What the Los Angeles Times later called missing one of the biggest marketing opportunities in a generation contributed to Pepsi losing market share by 2010 falling to third place from second in the United States PepsiCo sponsored the American version of Cowell s The X Factor in hopes of not repeating its Idol mistake until its cancellation 336 For the revived series on ABC Macy s and Johnson amp Johnson s Zyrtec signed on as the major sponsors of the show 337 American Idol tour Edit Tenth season American Idol tour Scotty McCreery performing with Thia Megia Haley Reinhart and Pia Toscano The top ten eleven in the tenth season five in the fourteenth season and seven in the sixteenth season toured at the end of every season except for the fifteenth and seventeenth seasons 338 339 In the twelfth season tour a semi finalist who won a sing off was also added to the tour Kellogg s Pop Tarts was the sponsor for the first seven seasons and Guitar Hero was added for the seventh season tour M amp M s Pretzel Chocolate Candies was a sponsor of the ninth season tour The fifth season tour was the most successful tour with gross of over 35 million 340 However no concert tour was organized in the fifteenth and seventeenth seasons the only seasons not to have an associated tour 341 The sixteenth season tour featured the band In Real Life as an opener on select dates 342 Idol Gives Back EditMain article Idol Gives Back Idol Gives Back was a special charity event started in season six featuring performances by celebrities and various fund raising initiatives This event was also held in seasons seven and nine and has raised nearly 185 million in total 95 Music releases Edit Main articles American Idol compilation series and American Idol Hot 100 singles American Idol has traditionally released studio recordings of contestants performances as well as the winner s coronation single for sale For the first five seasons the recordings were released as a compilation album at the end of the season All five of these albums reached the top ten in Billboard 200 which made then American Idol the most successful soundtrack franchise of any motion picture or television program 343 Starting late in the fifth season individual performances were released during the season as digital downloads initially from the American Idol official website only In the seventh season the live performances and studio recordings were made available during the season from iTunes when it joined as a sponsor In the tenth season the weekly studio recordings were also released as compilation digital album straight after performance night 19 Recordings a recording label owned by 19 Entertainment currently hold the rights to phonographic material recorded by all the contestants 19 originally partnered with Bertelsmann Music Group BMG to promote and distribute the recordings through its labels RCA Records Arista Records J Records Jive Records In 2005 2007 BMG partnered with Sony Music Entertainment to form a joint venture known as Sony BMG Music Entertainment From 2008 to 2010 Sony Music handled the distribution following their acquisition of BMG Sony Music was partnered with American Idol and distribute its music and In 2010 Sony was replaced by as the music label for American Idol by UMG s Interscope Geffen A amp M Records 344 Tie ins Edit American Idol video games American Idol PlayStation 2 PC Game Boy Advance mobile phone Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol PlayStation 2 Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol Encore PlayStation 2 PlayStation 3 Wii Xbox 360 Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol Encore 2 PlayStation 3 Wii Xbox 360Theme park attraction EditMain article The American Idol Experience On February 14 2009 The Walt Disney Company debuted The American Idol Experience at its Disney s Hollywood Studios theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida In this live production co produced by 19 Entertainment park guests chose from a list of songs and auditioned privately for Disney cast members Those selected then performed on a stage in a 1000 seat theater replicating the Idol set Three judges whose mannerisms and style mimicked those of the real Idol judges critiqued the performances 345 Audience members then voted for their favorite performer There were several preliminary round shows during the day that culminated in a finals show in the evening where one of the winners of the previous rounds that day was selected as the overall winner 346 The winner of the finals show received a Dream Ticket that granted them front of the line privileges at any future American Idol audition 345 The attraction closed on August 30 2014 347 American Idol Experience stageOther broadcasts EditThis section needs to be updated Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information May 2021 American Idol is broadcast to over 100 nations worldwide 348 In most nations these are not live broadcasts and may be tape delayed by several days or weeks except for other season finales that are aired live in several countries simulcast with the U S broadcast on Fox 2002 2016 and ABC since 2018 In Canada the first thirteen seasons of American Idol were aired live countrywide by CTV and or CTV Two in simulcast with Fox CTV dropped Idol after its thirteenth season and in August 2014 Yes TV announced that it had picked up Canadian rights to American Idol beginning in its 2015 season 349 350 In 2017 it was announced the show would return to CTV Two for its sixteenth season 351 Since season nineteen the show started airing on Citytv In Latin America the show is broadcast and subtitled by Sony Entertainment Television In Southeast Asia it is broadcast by Sony Channel every Monday and Tuesday nine or ten hours after since its revival In Philippines it is aired every Thursday and Friday nine or ten hours after its United States telecast from 2004 to 2007 on ABC 5 2008 11 on QTV then GMA News TV and 2012 16 2018 19 on ETC In Indonesia it was aired on RCTI in the 2002 to 2003 season before the Indonesian version of Idols was held in the 2004 aired after each episode ended and in the 2011 to 2013 season it was broadcast by B Channel now RTV In Australia it aired a few hours after the U S telecast It was aired on Network Ten from 2002 to 2008 and then again in 2013 Between 2008 and 2012 it aired on Fox8 and the thirteenth and fourteenth seasons 2014 15 it aired on digital channel Eleven a sister channel to Network Ten Its final season 2016 aired on Fox8 hours after the original U S broadcast The show enjoyed a lot of popularity in Australia throughout the 2000s before declining in the ratings 352 In the United Kingdom episodes were aired one day after the U S broadcast on digital channel ITV2 In the twelfth season the episodes aired on 5 It was also aired in Ireland on TV3 two days after the telecast In Brazil and Israel the show airs two days after its original broadcast and broadcast live during the season finale In the instances where the airing is delayed the shows may sometimes be combined into one episode to summarize the results In Italy the twelfth season was broadcast by La3 353 In Singapore The show was broadcast on Mediacorp Channel 5 for the ninth and tenth seasons Spin offs EditIdol The Musical American Juniors American Idol Rewind American Idol Extra The Next Great American Band From Justin to Kelly An American Idol Christmas Idol Camp Idol WrapSee also EditList of American Idol finalists List of awards and nominations for American Idol contestantsReferences Edit a b American Idol officially adds J Lo and Harry Connick Jr as judges Entertainment Weekly Retrieved November 23 2019 Doris Baltruschat 2010 Global Media Ecologies Networked Production in Film and Television Routledge p 106 ISBN 978 0415874786 a b c d Carter Bill February 20 2007 For Fox s Rivals American Idol Remains a Schoolyard Bully The New York Times Archived from the original on April 16 2009 Retrieved March 13 2008 a b Ten Years of American Idol Chart Dominance Clarkson Underwood Daughtry Fantasia More Billboard June 11 2012 Archived from the original on January 27 2013 Retrieved September 4 2012 a b Full 2010 11 Ratings CBS Tops Viewership Fox Is No 1 in Demo and Idol Remains Most Watched TV Guide June 1 2011 Retrieved February 11 2013 Stephen Armstrong January 11 2010 Nice work for Nasty Nigel Lythgoe The Guardian UK Retrieved February 24 2011 Fuller Simon May 20 2011 Simon Fuller on how Idol began Variety Retrieved August 6 2011 Pop Idol audience reaches 10 million BBC News January 28 2002 Retrieved February 24 2011 a b c Bill Carter April 30 2006 How a Hit Almost Failed Its Own Audition The New York Times The Masked Scheduler on American Idol part 1 The origin story TV by the Number March 5 2018 Archived from the original on March 6 2018 US starts Pop Idol search BBC News April 29 2002 a b c d Watching TV six decades of American television By Harry Castleman Walter J Podrazik The Masked Scheduler on American Idol part 2 Managing a megahit TV by the Numbers March 6 2018 Archived from the original on March 6 2018 5 reasons American Idol may go on nearly forever or not USA Today January 17 2012 Archived from the original on July 19 2012 Retrieved June 2 2012 American Idol Ratings Woes A Season by Season Timeline of the Decline April 9 2014 Retrieved December 14 2022 The Masked Scheduler on American Idol part 4 The decline and end of the FOX run TV by the Numbers March 9 2018 Archived from the original on March 9 2018 a b c Andreeva Nellie May 11 2015 American Idol Renewed For Final Season Deadline Hollywood United States Penske Media Corporation Retrieved May 11 2015 Hibberd James May 9 2017 ABC officially revives American Idol chides Fox for canceling Entertainment Weekly Retrieved May 9 2017 Nellie Andreeva and Nancy Tartaglione May 9 2017 American Idol Return Set On ABC For 2017 18 Season Deadline Hollywood Retrieved May 9 2017 a b Variety Staff November 6 2017 American Idol Premiere Date Revealed Variety Retrieved November 6 2017 a b Dugan Christina May 23 2021 Chayce Beckham Wins American Idol Season 4 People Stryker Strikes Out The Man Who Was Supposed To Be The Fourth Idol Judge New music yahoo com January 12 2011 Archived from the original on January 20 2011 Retrieved February 24 2011 Susman Gary October 31 2002 New judge Angie Martinez drops out of American Idol Entertainment Weekly Retrieved November 23 2019 Weisman Jon August 4 2009 Abdul ends her Idol era Variety Retrieved November 23 2019 Collins Scott July 30 2010 Ellen DeGeneres is out as American Idol judge Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on August 1 2010 Retrieved July 30 2010 Slezak Michael September 3 2010 Kara DioGuardi not returning to American Idol It s finally official Entertainment Weekly Retrieved November 23 2019 Simon Cowell to leave American Idol BBC News January 12 2010 Retrieved March 31 2010 a b c Kaufman Gil September 22 2010 American Idol Adds Jennifer Lopez Steven Tyler As Judges MTV Retrieved February 24 2011 Steven Tyler s Idol Departure Influenced Jennifer Lopez s Own Exit Rolling Stone July 17 2012 Retrieved July 25 2012 American Idol announces judges Keith Urban Nicki Minaj confirmed Entertainment Weekly September 16 2012 Retrieved November 23 2019 a b Douglas Hyde and Greg Botelhon May 31 2013 American Idol to get makeover with exits of Mariah Carey Nicki Minaj CNN a b Malkin Marc May 9 2013 Randy Jackson I m Leaving American Idol E Online Jimmy Iovine Out Of American Idol Randy Jackson Poised To Replace Him As Mentor Deadline Retrieved August 23 2013 a b Hibberd James June 24 2014 All the American Idol judges will return for season 14 Entertainment Weekly a b American Idol Renewed For Final Season Deadline Hollywood May 11 2015 Retrieved May 11 2015 a b Melas Chloe May 16 2017 Katy Perry is your next American Idol judge United States CNN Archived from the original on May 16 2017 Retrieved May 16 2017 a b Luke Bryan to Become New American Idol Judge Rolling Stone September 26 2017 a b Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan to join American Idol as judges Entertainment Weekly September 29 2017 Analise July 29 2022 American Idol Returns to ABC in Spring 2023 Plus More in News Briefs D23 Retrieved November 21 2022 Potts Kim American Idol The Untold Story Book Author Richard Rushfield Talks Past Idol Scandals Backstage Divas and Season 10 TV Squad Archived from the original on January 22 2011 Retrieved January 18 2010 Melas Chloe April 8 2019 Ryan Seacrest makes American Idol history by missing hosting duties CNN Retrieved January 23 2023 Nededog Jethro Original American Idol cohost Brian Dunkleman returned for the finale and admits he never got along with Ryan Seacrest Business Insider Retrieved January 23 2023 American Idol 10 Audition Rules PDF Archived from the original PDF on July 7 2011 Retrieved February 24 2011 a b Season 4 rules April 22 2006 Archived from the original on April 22 2006 Retrieved August 6 2011 Secret Rituals of American Idol Auditions Exposed Thedailybeast com January 19 2010 Retrieved February 24 2011 Kaufman Gil February 12 2021 American Idol Was the First Show to React to COVID Can They Be the First to Pivot Back to Normal Billboard Retrieved November 14 2022 Barber Greg February 16 2010 American Idol Kodak Moments The Washington Times Slezak Michael February 5 2010 American Idol 15 Greatest Hollywood Week Moments Entertainment Weekly Kickler Kelber Sarah February 12 2008 American Idol Hooray for Hollywood Baltimore Sun Kaufman Gil February 17 2011 American Idol Hollywood Week Ends With A Ticket To Vegas MTV Slezak Michael February 17 2012 American Idol Recap What Happened in Vegas TVLine Barrett Annie February 21 2013 American Idol sudden death Five guys get cut Entertainment Weekly Mansfield Brian February 5 2014 American Idol Hollywood or Home USA Today Carr Tom February 19 2015 American Idol Recap Showcase Round Performances Include a Sing Off ABC News Radio American Idol FAQS Americanidol com Archived from the original on February 22 2011 Retrieved February 24 2011 a b AT amp T Wireless and American Idol Set Global Records in Text Messaging AT amp T Wireless Business Wire June 4 2003 a b AT amp T Announces the Eighth Season of American Idol Smashes All Time Record for Fan Engagement through Text Messaging Att com May 22 2009 Retrieved February 24 2011 Harvesting cash from American Idol TV votes Evening Standard London July 15 2010 Archived from the original on March 3 2011 Retrieved February 24 2011 Kaufman Gil April 20 2020 How Is American Idol Going to Go Live During the Pandemic The Producers Say They Have a Plan For That Billboard a b McCarthy Tyler April 21 2020 American Idol makes TV history with first remote results show ever due to the coronavirus Fox News Maxine Shen May 1 2009 Adam Really Was in the Bottom 3 New York Post Idol Contestants No Shtupping the Judges Tmz com May 13 2010 Retrieved February 24 2011 a b Wyatt Edward February 23 2010 Idol Winners Not Just Fame but Big Bucks The New York Times Halperin Shirley May 17 2018 American Idol How Disney s Approach to the Winner s Music Breaks From the Past Variety Retrieved May 8 2019 Anthony McCartney May 25 2012 New American Idol contract allows for lower payouts no album guarantees for runners up The Washington Post Associated Press Archived from the original on December 8 2018 Retrieved May 25 2012 The cost of being on American Idol Bankrate com Retrieved August 6 2011 Christina Christian Voted Off American Idol While Hospitalized Popdirt com August 8 2002 Retrieved February 24 2011 Teen Idol s Dream The Advocate January 21 2003 Retrieved February 24 2011 Parker Lyndsey January 18 2011 Fun With Facts Things You Didn t Know About American Idol But Were Too Glued To Your TV Set To Ask Yahoo Music Blogs Reality Rocks Archived from the original on January 22 2011 Retrieved October 26 2011 a b Bronson Fred May 12 2015 Top 100 American Idol Hits of All Time Billboard Carrie Underwood Moves Past Kelly Clarkson In Top US Album Sales By An American Idol Artist Top40 about com Archived from the original on November 5 2013 Retrieved February 24 2011 EXTRA November 20 2002 American Idol After probe Paula Abdul to remain on Idol Today Associated Press August 24 2005 a b Moss Corey February 4 2004 American Idol Steps Up Screening Process For Contestants Mtv Retrieved February 24 2011 a b Deborah Starr Seibel May 17 2004 American Idol Outrage Your Vote Doesn t Count Logan Martin January 17 2006 It s Going to be a Very Strong Season I Think An Interview with American Idol Producer Nigel Lythgoe Archived from the original on July 13 2009 Gary Trust Jillian Mapes Kevin Rutherford February 28 2012 Top 24 American Idols Of All Time Billboard Top 24 American Idols of All Time Billboard Archived from the original on November 12 2010 Retrieved May 16 2013 Buzz over Jennifer Hudson s ouster from American Idol 3 continues Realitytvworld com April 26 2004 Retrieved February 24 2011 Elton John Says American Idol Vote Is Racist Archived from the original on April 29 2004 Retrieved April 29 2004 Reuters via Yahoo com 2004 04 28 Retrieved on March 2 2007 Simon Kept Me in My Place An Interview with John Stevens Foxesonidol com April 30 2004 Archived from the original on December 27 2010 Retrieved February 24 2011 Simon Cowell s Favorite Idol Moment Extratv warnerbros com May 25 2010 Retrieved February 24 2011 Moss Corey March 14 2005 Mario Vazquez Quits Idol It Wasn t Right For Me Favored finalist drops out to focus on personal things Mtv Retrieved February 24 2011 A I Contestant Accused of Masturbating in Suit Tmz com December 3 2007 Retrieved February 24 2011 Carrie Underwood s Inside Your Heaven Debuts as Best Selling Song in the Nation and Breaks Chart History PRNewswire June 23 2005 Jim Asker January 21 2015 Rewinding the Country Charts 10 Years Ago Carrie Underwood Motored to Her First No 1 Billboard Prometheus Global Media Retrieved January 24 2016 Rolling Stone March 10 2015 Readers Poll 10 Best Carrie Underwood Songs Rolling Stone Disqualified Brittenum twins return for American Idol 7 auditions Realitytvworld com August 17 2007 Retrieved February 24 2011 Chris Daughtry gets job offer from Fuel USA Today May 12 2006 Retrieved February 24 2011 Moss Corey March 24 2006 Did Idol Contender Daughtry Go Over The Line With Walk The Line Cover Mtv Retrieved February 24 2011 a b Bill Keveney January 14 2014 TV Singing Shows Fail To Create Stars USA Today a b Idol Death Star Returns Premiere ratings build on last year s ginormous numbers tv zap2it com January 17 2007 Archived from the original on January 3 2008 Retrieved January 17 2007 Sanjaya on Idol rocks a faux hawk Today msnbc msn com March 28 2007 Archived from the original on September 5 2011 Retrieved February 24 2011 Buh Bye Ya Sanjaya Us Weekly April 19 2007 Archived from the original on May 25 2007 Retrieved May 16 2013 a b c d American Idol s Idol Gives Back charity special raises 45 million Realitytvworld com April 26 2010 Retrieved February 24 2011 Natalie Finn May 23 2007 Jordin Sparks Idol Finale E Online a b American Idol Controversy The Ringers of Season 7 Buddytv com January 30 2008 Retrieved February 24 2011 Irish Idol Smithson s Secret Past New music yahoo com February 14 2008 Archived from the original on October 1 2011 Retrieved February 24 2011 Kaufman Gil March 5 2008 American Idol Producer OKs David Hernandez s Stripper Past Show Keeps Mum On Danny Noriega Video Mtv Retrieved February 24 2011 Halperin Shirley March 28 2008 Chris Cornell defends Idol contender David Cook Entertainment Weekly Archived from the original on October 12 2010 Retrieved November 23 2019 Kaufman Gil April 2 2008 American Idol Contestant David Cook Reportedly Rushed To Hospital After Show Mtv Retrieved February 24 2011 Mansfield Brian January 7 2011 Jennifer Lopez says new Idol judges are more collaborative USA Today Retrieved February 24 2011 Jeff Buckley s Hallelujah Becomes America s Number One Digital Song PRNewswire March 13 2008 Retrieved November 6 2012 David Cook Billie Jean 1 Song on iTunes Rickey org March 27 2008 Retrieved February 24 2011 permanent dead link Hazlett Courtney August 18 2010 Idol s emotional focus will highlight Abdul Today com Retrieved August 25 2010 Nigel Lythgoe leaving American Idol Entertainment Weekly Retrieved November 23 2019 Report Kris Allen s home state cast 38 million American Idol votes Realitytvworld com May 21 2009 Retrieved February 24 2011 Conway reacts to Kris win Fox16 com Archived from the original on July 11 2011 Retrieved February 24 2011 a b Wyatt Edward May 27 2009 Idol producers stand by outcome The New York Times Barrie Gunter July 24 2014 I Want to Change My Life Can Reality TV Competition Shows Trigger Lasting Career Success pp 34 35 ISBN 9781443864749 Singh Anita January 15 2010 Pants On The Ground video American Idol s General Larry Platt is overnight star The Daily 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sparked by disagreement over country thing Entertainment Weekly Retrieved November 23 2019 Parker Lyndsey January 13 2014 10 Ways American Idol is Trying to Win You Back RollingStone American Idol Harry Connick Jr Official Site www harryconnickjr com Retrieved January 25 2023 Louis J Horvitz To Direct American Idol This Season Deadline December 19 2013 Bronson Fred May 14 2014 American Idol Celebrates 500th Episode The Highs and Lows of 13 Seasons Hollywood Reporter Perlman Jake American Idol season finale recap And the Winner is Entertainment Weekly Retrieved May 21 2014 Paul Grein August 20 2014 Chart Watch A New Low For American Idol Yahoo Music Hibbert James November 11 2014 Randy Jackson exiting American Idol Entertainment Weekly Retrieved November 23 2019 Matt Webb Mitovich December 13 2014 American Idol Season 14 One Night a Week Starting Top 10 TVLine TVLine Retrieved April 20 2015 Steinberg Brian December 16 2014 Coca Cola Ends Sponsorship Of American Idol EXCLUSIVE Michele 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WATCH VIDEO Gold Derby Swift Andy May 13 2019 American Idol Renewed for Season 3 at ABC as Costly Judging Panel Braces for a Possible Shakeup TVLine Bell Amanda November 21 2019 ABC Sets Midseason Premiere Dates for Grey s Anatomy The Bachelor and More TV Guide Retrieved November 21 2019 Ryan Seacrest Returns as Host of Iconic Singing Competition Series American Idol Press release ABC September 20 2019 via The Futon Critic Hermanson Wendy April 26 2020 American Idol Makes History by Proceeding With At Home Performances Taste Of Country Yahr Emily May 18 2020 The remote American Idol finale ended in mild chaos and shocked everyone including the winner The Washington Post Dugan Christina May 17 2020 American Idol Just Sam Wins Season 3 People Retrieved May 18 2020 Savage Mark May 18 2020 Just Sam American Idol crowns first ever at home winner BBC Online Kaufman Gil May 18 2020 Just Sam Definitely Didn t Expect to Win Socially Distanced American Idol Season 18 Crown Billboard White Peter May 15 2020 American Idol ABC Renews Singing Competition For Season 4 Deadline Penske Business Media Retrieved May 16 2020 Darwish Meaghan August 19 2020 Ryan Seacrest Katy Perry Luke Bryan Lionel Richie All Returning for Season 19 of American Idol TV Insider Pedersen Erik November 10 2020 ABC Sets Premiere Dates For The Bachelor American Idol To Tell The Truth amp New Game Shows Deadline Hollywood Retrieved November 11 2020 White Peter May 13 2021 American Idol Renewed For Season 5 At ABC Deadline Hollywood Penske Business Media Retrieved May 13 2021 Jacobs Meredith August 3 2021 American Idol Ryan Seacrest Luke Bryan Katy Perry amp Lionel Richie Officially Returning for Season 20 TV Insider Pedersen Erik December 2 2021 ABC Sets Premiere Dates For American Idol Season 5 amp Mayim Bialik Hosted Jeopardy College Tourney Deadline Hollywood Retrieved December 2 2021 Shafer Ellise January 1 2022 Bobby Bones Says He s Not Returning to American Idol for Season 20 Variety White Peter May 13 2022 American Idol Renewed For Season Six At ABC Deadline Hollywood Retrieved May 13 2022 BREAKING American Idol Reveals Season 21 Premiere Date Confirms Judges amp Host Music Mayhem Magazine November 7 2022 The Return Of American Idol Money Never Dies Forbes January 17 2013 Retrieved February 11 2013 a b c d e f g h i j k Andreeva Nellie January 20 2011 Ratings rat race Deadline Hollywood Retrieved February 24 2011 a b c d e f g Seidman Robert TV Ratings Wednesday Simon s Final American Idol Down 18 Lowest Rated Idol Finale Tvbythenumbers com Archived from the original on May 31 2010 Retrieved February 24 2011 American Idol does not have a ranking for the 2001 2002 season because it aired in the summer of 2002 If it had aired within the official 2001 2002 U S television season the Wednesday results show would have ranked number 25 and the Tuesday performance show would have ranked number 30 assuming it would have had the same rating as it did in the summer Top 20 Most Watched TV 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