Winning “American Idol” comes with more than just national exposure. According to People, the champion also receives a record contract and a cash prize, though the amounts have changed over the years. Previous winners have said that the cash winnings have ranged from $250,000 to $1 million. In fact, the first-ever Idol winner, Kelly Clarkson, made headlines when she revealed she never saw her $1 million prize!
It has been more than a month since Hannah Harper won season 24 of “American Idol,” but the “String Cheese” songstress recently revealed she is still waiting for her cash prize.
Hannah Harper Admits She Has Yet to Receive Her ‘American Idol’ Prize Money
DisneyWinning “American Idol” comes with a record contract and some sort of cash prize, but it looks like season 24 winner Hannah Harper is still waiting to get her check in the mail ever since she was crowned the champion on May 11.
During a recent appearance on “The Acoustic Shoppe Knows People” podcast, Harper was asked about returning to her Missouri hometown to work the drive-thru at a local 7 Brew Coffee shop, despite having won the show.
“You win ‘American Idol,’ you have some fame, why is it you need to get a job at 7 Brew?” The host asked Harper.
“Well, I haven’t seen that prize money yet, and my mortgage was due, so…” Harper admitted.
Harper’s appearance was actually a collaboration with her town’s local 7 Brew Coffee shop. Her surprise appearance came just two weeks after her “American Idol” win, where she handed out coffee orders and greeted fans who were shocked to see her.
Past ‘American Idol’ Winners Open up About the Show’s Prize Money
GettyHowever, Harper’s admission that she’s still waiting for her prize money has renewed questions about how “American Idol” awards its cash prizes, with several former winners revealing surprising details about the process of the years.
According to USA Today, Kelly Clarkson, who won the first season of “American Idol,” revealed during a March episode of “The Kelly Clarkson Show” that she never received her $1 million prize or a car promised to her after her win. Clarkson won the season in 2002.
Clarkson was speaking to “The Traitors” winner Rob Rausch when he revealed he was still waiting for his prize.
“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,” she said, adding that the show put the one million towards “investment in you.”
Season 16 winner Maddie Pope also spoke out about her $250,000 prize money, telling Business Insider in 2022 that after taxes, the remaining money is paid out in two installments.
“You do get $250,000, but not really because of taxes,” she said, adding, “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.”
Hopefully, Harper gets her prize money soon; she’s now on her “String Cheese Tour,” having taken her whole family along. She’s also set to perform as the opening act for both Brad Paisley on his “Live 2026 Tour” and Lauren Alaina’s “Stages Tour.”
