All 23 ‘American Idol’ Winners Ranked + Where They Are Today

There have been 23 American Idol winners and several have gone on to enjoy award-winning, chart-topping, venue-filling careers.

Others could literally knock on your door right now, introduce themself and explain who they are and you’d still be left asking, “Who?”

We’re not throwing shade at Caleb Johnson, the first American Idol winner found on this list. His star did burn bright, but it also may have burned out.

• Season 24 of American Idol continues on ABC on Monday nights at 8PM ET.
• Luke Bryan and Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood join Lionel Richie on the judging panel.
• Six of the show’s first 23 winners have chased country music stardom.

American Idol Winners, Ranked

While plenty of outlets have tried to rank every American Idol winner on some sort of success meter, this list organizes by who is most memorable.

That means artists like Laine Hardy do well on account of alleged criminal activity a year or two after he won. Season 13 winner Just Sam is middle of the pack because they took their struggles to social media not long after the show wrapped.

It also means early winners like Lee DeWyze get lost, because TV viewers / voters handed the trophy to young, white men for five straight years in the late ’00s and early 2010s, and honestly who can keep them all straight?

After Scotty McCreery won Season 10 in 2011, the chances of a winner notching a hit song grew slimmer with every change in the judges chair. American Idol viewers lost interest in a singer like Nick Fradiani shortly after the credits rolled, similar to what’s happened to every winner of The Voice. For that reason, most of the Top 5 spots go to Season 1-5 winners (with one exception).

Related: 12 American Idol Stars Who’ve Died

Here’s the full ranks, with what each former Idol winner is doing today if we could find it.