Kelly Clarkson Crowned First American Idol

2002

Kelly Clarkson beats Justin Guarini to become the first winner of American Idol.

Clarkson, a 20-year-old cocktail waitress from Burleson, Texas, takes the stage during the live broadcast at Hollywood's Kodak Theater alongside Pennsylvania native Justin Guarini, 23, a favorite among screaming adolescents throughout the inaugural season. It's been a whirlwind eight weeks of finals, with Clarkson and Guarini out-singing their competition with renditions of Motown classics, Big Band numbers, and Burt Bacharach love songs. Tonight, they face off with three performances each, including Clarkson's cover of Otis Redding's "Respect," and Guarini's signature take on Brenda Russell's "Get Here." An estimated 15.5 million viewers cast their votes for the first American Idol. The two finalists hold hands as Ryan Seacrest announces the winner: Kelly Clarkson. "I didn't actually hear them say I won," Clarkson, who earned 58% of the votes and an RCA recording contract, recalled. "Justin just hugged me." In an iconic Idol moment, Clarkson tearfully performs her coronation song, "A Moment Like This," one of two singles released immediately after the finale. Leaping 52 spots to #1, the ballad breaks The Beatles' record for the fastest jump to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. But Clarkson is no one-hit-wonder. She goes on to release dozens of hit singles and earns multiple Grammy Awards, becoming one of the most successful Idol alums of the show's 15-season run. Her success is a boon to FOX's TV talent contest, which continues to be a ratings juggernaut throughout the decade and inspires several copycats on rival networks. Riding high on the Idol tidal wave, Clarkson and Guarini team up for the 2003 movie musical From Justin to Kelly, a box-office bomb that earns a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst 'Musical' of Our First 25 Years. Thankfully, the fallout doesn't extend to Clarkson's singing career. Her debut album, Thankful, lands at #1 on the Billboard 200. As for Guarini, his self-titled debut peters out at #20, a fact Seacrest later blames on the show's lack of foresight, explaining, "After the first season, they learned to capitalize on the window of opportunity for non-winners keeping them in the public eye with singles, videos, rushed CDs, etc., something that didn't happen for Justin."