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How Much Money Does an American Idol Winner Get? Everything to Know After Jamal Roberts' Victory
With Jamal Roberts winning season 23 of American Idol, the 27-year-old contestant left with a recording contract and a six-figure cash prize. Read on for everything to know about his winnings.
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Watch : âAmerican Idolâ Season 23 Winner Revealed
At least one American Idol contestant leaves with gold and green in hand.Â
With 144 aspiring singers kicking off season 23, it was Jamal Roberts who was victorious during the May 18 finale, thanks to his genre-defying voice. Along with major bragging rights, the 27-year-old left the show with a recording contract and cash prize.
"From my first step on that stage to this unbelievable moment, I never dreamed a kid from my hometown would one day be called American Idol," he wrote on Instagram May 19. "This journey has been bigger than me, and I'm so grateful for every person who believed in me when I was just chasing a dream."
He added, "Now, I get to make music with the best in the world and share my story. But this isn't the end⌠it's just the beginning."
As for how much Jamal is cashing in? Season 16 winner Maddie Poppe shared that she earned $250,000 after coming in first, although that's not what she saw in her bank account.
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American Idol Season 23 Winner Revealed
"You do get $250,000, but not really because of taxes," she told Business Insider in 2022. "You get half of it before you complete your record, and then the second half you get after you complete the record. So it's just like an advance from the record deal, but I'm pretty sure I have to recoup it."
But the prize has changed since the show's debut in 2002, as earlier winners like season 11 winner Phillip Phillips earned $1 million, according to Today.Â
Even if contestants don't end up in the top three, they still earn some money. Seasons 17 and 18 contestant Margie Mays shared on TikTok in 2020, "You don't get paid until you make it to the live rounds, and then you can be paid."
Disney/Christopher Willard
How Much Does the Winner of American Idol Leave With?All first-place winners have left the singing competition with a recording contract with American Idol-affiliated 19 Management and a lump-sum cash prize.
While earlier winners like Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Phillip Phillips won a $1 million contract, the prize has since seemingly shrunk. Season 16 winner Maddie Poppe shared that she earned $250,000 before the fees and taxes.Â
"People were asking my parents, 'So are you quitting your jobs?'" she explained to Business Insider in 2022. "They asked my sister, 'Oh, so are you quitting your job? Is your sister going to support you now?'"Â Â
"You do get $250,000, but not really because of taxes," she continued. "And you get half of it before you complete your record, and then the second half you get after you complete the record. So it's just like an advance from the record deal, but I'm pretty sure I have to recoup it."Â
Disney/Christopher Willard
The New York Times reported in 2010, per contracts signed by contestants obtained by the outlet, that winners often earn around $1 million in revenue after leaving the show. Season eight winner Kris Allen earned an additional minimum of $650,000 in the year since his win, including performance fees and merchandising royalties, according to the documents.
Do Second and Third Place Winners on American Idol Receive a Prize?A set prize amount hasn't been confirmed for second and third place winners, but making it far into the show has also given some former contestants enough exposure to launch an expansive career. Â
Adam Lambert, who came in second place during season eight, has since found success in music, even taking over as lead singer for Queen for over a decade and making his Broadway debut in Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club.
"I got to show who I was to America, what I was capable of as a musician and as an artist and introduce myself to the public which is in today's age," he told Entertainment Weekly in 2016. "It's hard to get that kind of exposure. On my season we had up to 30 million people watching every week. It was a huge viewership. I was really lucky."
Disney/Christopher Willard
Does Everyone on American Idol Get Paid For Competing?Seasons 17 and 18 contestant Margie Mays shared in a 2020 TikTok that all contestants who make it to the live rounds start receiving some money. She also earned some cash for additional projects with the show.Â
"I also did a couple of commercials for them," she explained, "that stuff is paid."
"When they take you to places like Hawaii, obviously, they pay for that and then there's things like a per diem for, like, eating while you're in Hawaii," she added. "But they're not paying you to be a contestant. That's the sacrifice you make to try to win."
The New York Times reported in 2010, per contracts signed by contestants obtained by the outlet, that when contestants made it to the Top 12, they were paid $1,000 for a one-hour episode and $1,500 for a two-hour show.Â
As Jamal prepares to count his cash prize, keep reading for all the behind-the-scenes secrets from American Idol.
Christopher Willard/ABC via Getty Images
Do American Idol Contestants Get Paid for Being on the Show?
"You donât get paid until you make it to the live rounds," Margie Mays, who competed on seasons 17 and 18 of American Idol, shared in a 2020 TikTok, "and then you can be paid."
The singer noted she did get paid to appear in American Idol commercials and to return for a finale performance after she was eliminated.
"When they take you to places like Hawaii, obviously, they pay for that and then thereâs things like a per diem for, like, eating while youâre in Hawaii," she added. "But theyâre not paying you to be a contestant. Thatâs the sacrifice you make to try to win."
But if you do win, there is a big prize.
"You do get $250,000, but not really because of taxes," season 16 champion Maddie Poppe told Business Insider in 2022. "And you get half of it before you complete your record, and then the second half you get after you complete the record. So it's just like an advance from the record deal, but I'm pretty sure I have to recoup it."
M Becker/American Idol 2008/Getty Images for Fox
Do American Idol Contestants Audition for the First Time in Front of the Judges?
Nope.
In fact, season seven winner David Cook told Business Insider his audition in front of then-judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson was his fifth round.
There are a number of ways to audition for producers, including through open calls, live virtual auditions and social media. However, American Idol's guidelines state that singers who get a callback during the audition process must arrange their own travel.
"Once you get to Hollywood Week, they put you up [and] cover flights and all that," David continued, "but yeah, for the city auditions segment, you're on your own pocket."
Disney/Eric McCandless
Do American Idol Contestants Have to Pay Their Own Way to Hollywood?
You're going to Hollywood...now what?
After contestants get their golden ticket from the judgesâwho currently include Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryanâthey have to travel out to California for the nail-biting Hollywood Week. But does the show cover these travel expenses?
"Yes, they will fly you to Hollywood Week if you have to take a flight," Margie continued in a 2020 TikTok. "They pay for that, they book for that. Awesome. They'll get you from the airport to the hotel. Hotel is paid for. Meals are provided."
As she clarified, "They're not paying you money, but they are paying for your expenses."
SGranitz/WireImage
Do American Idol Contestants Have to Pay for Their Own Clothes?
When it comes to picking out their outfits, contestants are a solo act in the early rounds of the competition.
"You are responsible for dressing yourself," Margie said in a 2020 TikTok, later adding, "However, if you make it to the live rounds, which is usually Top 14 and above, they do dress you. There will be stylists, hair, makeup, the whole shebang 'cause they really want you to go from looking like [an] everyday person to a star and to really transform from the beginning of the show to the end."
Stylists have to work with a budget, though. And back in 2013,  former costume designer Soyon An told The Hollywood Reporter contestants were allotted $400 an episode for their wardrobe.
"They're creating an image, their brand," she added. "So if the costume goes over $400, the contestants have to decide whether or not to buy it themselves if they really want to wear it."
Disney/Eric McCandless
What Happens After an American Idol Contestant Gets Eliminated From the Show?
After host Ryan Seacrest reveals the results and singers are eliminated from the competition, it's time for them to pack their bags.
"For Hollywood Week, you generally get sent home as soon as they can book you on a flight," Margie said in a 2021 TikTok video. "So, you will literally leave the theater and go to a separate hotel and then they put you on a flight and leave right away."
As for later in the competition?
"For Hawaii, you don't leave the same day," she added. "Everybody flies back to L.A. on the same plane, whether they made it to the Top 20 or didn't. And then when you live in the apartments and you're doing live shows, if you get cut between like 20 and 10, I think you probably leave quickly after. But if you're in the Top 10 and you get cut, you very likely will stay in the apartments until the finale because they're gonna bring you back for the finale and you're gonna perform in the finale."
Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty Images
Do American Idol Contestants Under 18 Still Have to Go to School?
You must be at least 15 years old to compete on American Idol, so some of the singers are still keeping up with their studies.
"We had to have school on set and all that stuff," Danielle Finn, who was 17 years old when she made the Top 24 on season 20, explained to season 14 runner-up Clark Beckham in 2022. "And we couldn't film more than 10 hours a day. So if we ever went over, we would be kept to the side. Or, if we ever had free time? 'Oh, you gotta go to school.'"
Victoria Johnson, who was 16 when she made it to the Showstopper round on season 22, had a similar experience.
Though she was on spring break during Hollywood Week, bececause she was a minor, "they had me do the required school hours," she told University Press in 2024. "I just did puzzles the whole time because I didnât have any schoolwork to do....I am taking all my classes online this semester because of Idol, because I was going back and forth with filming."
M Becker/American Idol 2009/Getty Images for Fox
Where Do American Idol Contestants Live During the Show?
Over the years, American Idol contestants have lived in apartments, hotels and even mansions. The huge house on season eight, for instance, had a basketball court, bowling alley, cinema room as well as indoor and outdoor swimming pools.
"The mansion was sooo awesome," contestant Lil Rounds wrote in a February 2024 Instagram post while looking back at her season 15 years prior, "but we hardly had any sleep."
These days, contestants appear to stay in hotels. In fact, season 22 winner Abi Carter and top seven finalist Julia Gagnon were roommates.
Christopher Willard/ABC via Getty Images
What Do American Idol Contestants Do When They're Not Performing on the Show?
They stay quite busy.Â
Season two winner Ruben Studdard remembered how packed his schedule was with song selection, preparation, vocal coaching, and filming for show packages and commercials.
"Thursday we got the songs," he recalled on a 2023 interview with West Byrd. "Friday we chose the songs. Friday-Saturday we taped commercials. Sunday we made final selections. Then Sunday night-Monday night we went to the studio to make sure everything was right for the track. And then Tuesday morning we would do a dry run of the show, like top to bottom. So when you see the package when people are like, 'You should vote for X, Y, Z' that's already been taped Tuesday morning."
Then, of course, there's the actual show. "Wednesday is the elimination, and then it starts all over," Ruben added. "And it gets even tougher when the group gets smaller because the work is the same."
Jena Irene Asciutto has shared a similar sentiment.
"As the weeks went on and people were eliminated, the people left were responsible for filling that episode of time," the season 13 runner-up told Business Insider. "So we were needed for more things. And I think at like top eight was when we started doing Ford commercials every Sunday."
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