American Idol timeline

Crystal Bowersox Is Born

To reach Elliston, where Bowersox was born and raised and her father still lives, it's best to avoid Google Maps. Sometimes you get Graytown, the... Read more

Lee Dewyze Is Born

Leon James "Lee" DeWyze (born April 2, 1986) is an American singer-songwriter from Mount Prospect, Illinois, who is a finalist on the ninth season... Read more

Crystal Bowersox Moves to Chicago

Bowersox went to the Toledo School for the Arts, then moved to Chicago at 17, where she busked and played open-mic nights, as well as Uncommon... Read more

'American Idol: The Search for a Superstar' Debuts on Fox

American Idol is a reality television competition to find new solo singing talent. Part of the Idol franchise, it was created by Simon Fuller as a... Read more

Kelly Clarkson Wins the First Season of 'American Idol'

Clarkson won the first season of American Idol on September 4, 2002, earning 58% of the vote to 42% for Justin Guarini. Choking back tears,... Read more

Season 2 of 'American Idol' airs on Fox

Auditions were held in New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Detroit, Atlanta, Nashville, and Austin in the fall of 2002. At the Miami auditions, a... Read more

Kelly Clarkson Releases 'Thankful'

After listening to Thankful, it's hard to imagine any of 2003's American Idol contestants — including the two favorites, loverman Ruben Studdard... Read more

Ruben Studdard Wins the Second Season of 'American Idol'

In season two, Seacrest surfaced as the lone host. Brian Dunkleman reportedly hated working on the show and the studio was dissatisfied with his... Read more

'From Justin to Kelly' Premieres in Theatres

Robert Iscove's From Justin to Kelly takes its cues from the Frankie and Annette beach movies and Grease, but is little more than an attempt to... Read more

Clay Aiken Releases 'Measure of a Man'

Measure of a Man is Clay Aiken's debut album, released on October 14, 2003, five months after the conclusion of the second season of American Idol.... Read more

Reuben Studdard Releases 'Soulful'

In other words, most of Soulful consists of cuts that are about the feel of the production, from the shiny surfaces to the languid late-night... Read more

Third Season of 'American Idol' Premieres on Fox

Auditions were held in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Atlanta, and Honolulu. The early part of the season became well-known for... Read more

William Hung Performs 'She Bangs' on 'American Idol' Season 3

While studying civil engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, Hung was inspired to audition for the third season of American Idol in... Read more

Jennifer Hudson is Voted Off of 'American Idol' Season Three

Hudson struggled to gain popularity in the early stages of Idol's live shows, receiving the second-lowest number of votes in two of the first three... Read more

Fantasia Barrino wins the Third Season of 'American Idol'

After a nationwide vote of more than 65 million votes in total--more than the first two seasons combined--Fantasia Barrino won the "American Idol"... Read more

Fantasia Barrino Releases 'Free Yourself'

Fantasia is a compelling presence on television, and she has more charisma on record than any of her peers, but without the visuals, her vocals... Read more

The Fourth Season of 'American Idol' Premieres on Fox

Auditions were held in Washington, D.C., St. Louis, Missouri, New Orleans, Louisiana, Las Vegas, Nevada, Cleveland, Ohio, Orlando, Florida and San... Read more

Carrie Underwood wins the Fourth Season of 'American Idol'

The fourth season finale featuring Bo Bice and Carrie Underwood aired May 24 May 25, and 37 million votes were cast. It featured appearances by... Read more

Carrie Underwood Releases 'Some Hearts'

So, the powers that be decided that Underwood would be a contemporary country singer in the vein of Faith Hill — she'd sing anthemic country pop,... Read more

Season Five of 'American Idol' Premieres on Fox

Auditions were held in seven cities in the summer and early fall of 2005 in the following order: Chicago, Illinois Denver,... Read more

Chris Daughtry is Voted Off of 'American Idol' Season Five

Daughtry was in the final four on May 10, 2006, and found himself in the bottom two with Katharine McPhee. When asked by Seacrest who should be... Read more

Taylor Hicks Wins the Fifth Season of 'American Idol'

On the finale, Carrie Underwood sang "Don't Forget to Remember Me" solo along with the song "Through the Rain" with the 12 finalists. Also, the... Read more

Chris Daughtry Releases 'Daughtry' the Album

Everything that made Chris Daughtry insufferable as a contestant on American Idol -- his utter lack of humor, his oppressive earnestness, his... Read more

Taylor Hicks Releases 'Taylor Hicks' the Album

Taylor Hicks is the eponymous major label debut album by the American Idol fifth-season winner of the same name. The album was released on December... Read more

The Sixth Season of 'American Idol' Premieres on Fox

The Auditions were held in the following cities: Pasadena, California (billed as the Los Angeles auditions during the broadcast): Rose Bowl -... Read more