NEWSJordin Sparks Reveals Whether She Received 'American Idol' Prize Money and Car After Kelly Clarkson's Latest Confession
On 'TODAY With Jenna & Sheinelle,' Jordin Sparks revealed whether she received her 'American Idol' prize money after Kelly Clarkson's latest confession.
March 16 2026, Published 2:25 p.m. ET
Kelly Clarkson may not have collected her American Idol winnings, but Jordin Sparks sure did.
During the Monday, March 16, episode of TODAY With Jenna & Sheinelle, the winner of Season 6 of the vocal competition confirmed she received her prize money and car.
Jordin Sparks guest-starred on 'TODAY With Jenna & Sheinelle.'
Guest co-host Justin Sylvester admitted he’s the “messy friend” and was eager to ask Sparks whether she cashed in after Clarkson recently revealed she did not.
“I got my car,” Sparks, 36, said shyly. “Look, I wasn’t a part of Season 1. But the first season of anything is a little crazy…I hope they give her one now. Send her a Ford.”
Kelly Clarkson Claims She Did Not Receive 'American Idol' Winnings
Jordin Sparks won Season 6 of 'American Idol.'
On the Tuesday, March 10, episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, the “Stronger” singer, 43, complained about not receiving her winnings on Season 1 of American Idol in 2002.
"I literally was on the show, and they were like, ‘Oh, you win a million dollars’ or whatever. No, you didn’t. It was, like, a million dollars worth of investment in you,” she explained. "And then they said you get a car, and I needed it ‘cause my car was bashed in, and I couldn’t afford the deductible.”
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Kelly Clarkson won Season 1 of 'American Idol.'
Clarkson added, "I did not get a car. And then Clay Aiken, who didn’t win the second season, got a car and his mom [also got a car]!"
The musician admitted she was thinking to herself, “What the f---?”
“I remember Clay telling me that the second season. He’s like, ‘Yeah, they gave my mom one.’ I was like, ‘I’m gonna actually kick your a-- right now,’” she reflected.
Kelly Clarkson did not win the car she was promised after 'American Idol.'
Fans were floored by Clarkson’s shocking admission.
“American Idol is a scam,” one TikTok user quipped, while another exclaimed, “American Idol, you owe her a car!”
Others encouraged her to stop lamenting over the past when she has a successful, profitable career today.
“Well, you have your own tv show now,” one person wrote, while another added, “Yet she is rich right now and has been for like ever now who cares.”
Did Carrie Underwood Cash in Her 'American Idol' Prize?
Carrie Underwood still has the car she won on 'American Idol.'
American Idol Season 4 champion Carrie Underwood previously disclosed she got a Ford Mustang convertible when she won and still stores it.
"I do still have the car that I won when I won American Idol. So I have my blue Mustang," she said during a 2023 interview on Apple Music’s “Today’s Country Radio with Kelleigh Bannen.” "It always makes me want to drive it more, because it was such a pivotal point in my life. That was the car that I was driving around when I first moved to Tennessee, and I’m very, very glad I still have that car."
