American Idol’s first-season winner, Kelly Clarkson, has just shared some surprising information about her experience on the show. She said the prizes she was promised never arrived.
The Grammy-winning artist and talk show host shared on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” that she did not receive the $1 million prize and the car she was promised after winning the historic talent show in 2002.
She said these on a recent show where she was interviewing Rob Rausch, who is the winner of “The Traitors” reality TV show, where he has yet to receive his prize money, $220,800.
“I relate to this so hardcore,” Clarkson said to Rausch.
“You probably weren’t alive when I was on ‘American Idol,” she said. “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. You did not, no. It was like a million dollars’ worth of investment in you.”
She said the prize was not exactly what she was promised. She said she was promised a million dollars, but it was an investment in her career, helping launch it.
The information surprised another guest on the show, Daniel Radcliffe, who was promoting his film “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins.”
“And then they said you get a car,” Clarkson said. “And I needed it ’cause my car was bashed in and I couldn’t afford the deductible. And then, no! I did not get a car!”
She said the situation was even more irritating when she later learned that winners from later seasons had indeed received a car.
She said she heard from Clay Aiken, the runner-up in Season 2, that he did indeed receive a car, and that his mom also received one.
“I remember Clay telling me that second season,” Clarkson said. “He was like, ‘Yeah, they gave my mom one.’ I was like, ‘I’m gonna actually kick your a– right now.”
Radcliffe, on the other hand, jokingly said that a reality show must be created to compensate winners from earlier seasons if the prizes improve over the seasons.
“There should be some system where, like, if you win something on the first season of something, whatever the prize has become, you should retroactively get that,” he said.
However, Clarkson explained that she was indeed promised a car, but it was never given.
She also warned Rausch that he may still be waiting for his Traitor’s prize.
Although she has managed to build a very successful music career after winning American Idol, Clarkson joked that something is still missing from her win.
“Come on, American Idol,” she said. “It’s time to give Clarkson her car.”
