During an episode of “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” the TV host revealed she never received the $1 million check or the car that were promised after her win on season 1 of “American Idol.”
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Kelly Clarkson revealed on her talk show this week that she never received the $1 million cash prize for winning Season One of “American Idol.”
You may recall Clarkson out-sang Doylestown’s Justin Guarini for that grand prize nearly 25 years ago. If you’re wondering, as runner-up, Guarini was not due any cash winnings but he did land a lucrative recording contract with RCA, which was part of his deal with the “AI” producers.
During a Tuesday, March 10 episode of “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” the TV host revealed she never received the $1 million check or the car that were promised after her win on Season One of the reality singing competition series.
The revelation came out after “The Traitors” star Rob Rausch said he hasn’t yet received his $220,800 prize pot after recently winning Season 4 of the murder mystery game.
“I relate to this so hard core because whenever I won, you probably weren’t alive when I was on ‘American Idol,’ but I literally was on the show, and they were like, ‘Oh, you win a million dollars or whatever.’ No, you didn’t. They lied,” Clarkson told Rausch and fellow guest Daniel Radcliffe.
Instead of being given a $1 million check, the series gave her “a $1 million worth of investment in you.”
The Texas native then called out the show for giving both the Season 2 runner-up, Clay Aiken, and his mother cars. So she playfully warned Rausch that he might not see his check. “But you know what? Hope you got enough TV time,” she said.
USA TODAY has reached out to the “American Idol” production company for comment.
How old was Kelly Clarkson on ‘American Idol’?
Clarkson, 43, was 20 when she starred in the inaugural season of “American Idol,” which she won Sept. 4, 2002.
The vocal powerhouse wowed judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson with her rendition of “At Last” by Etta James and proved to be a dominant competitor throughout the season. She earned the win on finale night with her performances of Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” as well as her original songs “A Moment Like This” and “Before Your Love.”
Guarini belted out “Before Your Love” and “A Moment Like This” for his final performance. That was followed by Clarkson and Guarini performing a duet of Kim Weston/Marvin Gaye’s “It Takes Two,” which Clarkson revealed last year was an impromptu directive from “AI” producers and the pair had to perform the Motown classic with no rehearsal.
Following the series, she rose to stardom with many songs on the Billboard Hot 100, including No. 1 hits like “Since U Been Gone” and “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You).” She’s won three Grammy Awards and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
She stayed true to her TV roots, serving as a coach on “The Voice” for 10 seasons, winning four different seasons, and launching her daytime talk series “The Kelly Clarkson Show” in 2019.
Does Justin Guarini still live in Bucks County?
We all know what Kelly has been up to since her win, but what is Justin’s gig since he and Clarkson co-starred in 2003’s dubious “AI” cash-grab movie “From Justin to Kelly”?
Guarini, while not having much Billboard success, has appeared on Broadway in “Wicked,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “Once Upon a One More Time” and other stage shows. The Central Bucks School District product authored the 2025 book “Center Stage Confidence” and can be found on TV in Dr. Pepper commercials as pitchman Lil’ Sweet. Guarini, 47, still resides in the Bucks County area with wife Reina Capodici and two children.
Contributing: KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY, Tom Haines, phillyburbs.com
