The Complete List of 'American Idol' Winners

new American Idol champion, and she celebrated with her grandma via video chat from her performance space at her home. "This is exactly, like, my dreams have come true," the overwhelmed songstress said, struggling to find the words to express her excitement. "Thank you so much, America. I never, ever would have expected this!" ET spoke with Sam after her big win, and the 20-year-old songstress reflected on how, even when it came down to just her and Gunn, she never expected to win. "When [Ryan] said 'Our next American Idol is...' I was like, 'Congratulations, Arthur,' in my head," Sam recalled with a laugh. "I didn't even expect to make it this far into the competition, but I did."

The 20-year-old singer, who previously appeared last season, originally didn't want to audition again. Instead, he accompanied a friend to the Idol audition and was encouraged by judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie to give it another shot, which ultimately paid off. Though he has yet to release a full album, Hardy, 19, put out a three-song EP, In the Bayou, in 2018, followed by the single "Blue Christmas," and embarked on his first headlining tour in the fall of 2019. Two more songs, "Ground I Grew Up On" and "Let There Be Country," hit airwaves in April 2020.

Idol, Poppe appeared on The Voice and had released an EP. After winning season 16, Poppe released her first studio album, Whirlwind, in 2019.

 

told the crowd tearfully after his win, before performing his single, "Falling," which was co-written by Idol judge Keith Urban. The Mississippi-born country singer released a self-titled EP in 2016, followed by his first studio album in 2018, You Got 'Em All.

. Following his Idol win, the Connecticut native released the 2016 album Hurricane with the Big Machine Label Group, followed by an EP the following year, Where We Left Off, as an indie artist. In 2017, he toured with the rock band The Alternate Routes and portrayed Lorenzo Anello in a national tour of A Bronx Tale.

Born From Southern Ground.

Clear as Day, later that year, and it was soon certified platinum. The following year, he opened for country acts Brad Paisley and The Band Perry, and dropped a holiday album, Christmas With Scotty McCreery. He has since released two more albums, 2013's See You Tonight and 2018's Season Change, and scored his first country No. 1 with "Five More Minutes." He also wrote a book called Go Big or Go Home in 2016, which he described as a travelogue. After Idol, McCreery graduated high school in 2012 and pursued a bachelor's degree in communications from North Carolina State University. He and longtime girlfriend Gabi Dugal wed in 2018.

and his version of "Heartless" debuted to great success on the Billboard Hot 100. His self-titled album was released later that year and Allen's second major-label album, Thank You Camellia, dropped in 2012. His fifth and latest studio album, Letting You In, came out in 2016, though a decade after his Idol win, he did release an album called 10, which featured reworked songs from his previous albums. One year before his reality TV appearance, Allen wed his high school sweetheart, Katy O'Connell, and the two have since welcomed two sons and a daughter.

This Loud Morning and 2015's Digital Vein. Since winning Idol, Cook has headlined four tours and starred on Broadway in Kinky Boots. Tragically, his older brother, Adam, died of brain cancer in 2009, and he returned to Idol that year to perform "Permanent" in his sibling's honor. In 2015, Cook married Racheal Stump in Nashville.

Idol contestant in history until she was ousted by Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)," and Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats." She has since received numerous awards and nominations including an American Music Award in 2008 and her first GRAMMY nomination in 2009. She's also tried her hand at acting, making her Broadway debut in 2010 and her big-screen debut in 2012's Sparkle with the late Whitney Houston, and has released a series of perfumes. She took a five-year hiatus from recording, putting out a mixtape in 2014 followed by her third studio album, Right Here Right Now, in 2015. After a three-year relationship with Jason Derulo ended in 2014, Sparks went on to marry fitness model Dana Isaiah in 2017, and the pair welcomed a son in 2018.

Cry Pretty. Outside of music, the Oklahoma native started a fitness line in 2015 called CALIA by Carrie and released a New York Times bestselling fitness-and-lifestyle book, Find Your Path, in 2020. Underwood married NHL player Mike Fisher in 2010, and the pair have two sons, Isaac and Jacob.

Ruben Sings Luther. Now a gospel singer, Studdard made his Broadway debut in 2018.

coach on The Voice and hosts her own daytime talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show. She is also mom to two kids, daughter River and son Remington, with husband Brandon Blackstock.