Jordin Sparks Defends American Idol Grand Prize After Kelly Clarkson's Shocking Reveal

Jordin Sparks says American Idol has yet to fulfil its promise to a previous winner.

Sparks spilt the tea in a TODAY interview with Jenna & Sheinelle. When asked if she 'got the bag' after winning American Idol Season 6, she confirmed that she received a Ford Mustang. 'I got my car,' she gushed in response.

The question stemmed from an earlier comment Kelly Clarkson made on 10 March, during her eponymous talk show. One of her guests, The Traitors Season 4 winner Rob Rausch, said he had yet to receive his £165,373 ($220,800) prize money from the reality competition.

Clarkson chimed in with a sobering revelation: she did not really get the million-dollar prize American Idol promised. 'I literally was on [American Idol], and they were like, 'Oh, you win a million dollars' or whatever. No, you did not. It was, like, a million dollars worth of investment in you,' she said.

Kelly Clarkson Says American Idol Still Owes Her a Vehicle

The show also promised Clarkson a car, she asserted, but that did not materialise. That was doubly upsetting when she learned that the winners of later seasons were gifted vehicles.

'Clay Aiken, who didn't win the second season, got a car and his mom [also got a car]!' she exclaimed. 'I remember Clay telling me that in the second season. He was like, "yeah, they gave my mom one." I was like, "I'm going to actually kick your ass right now.'''

Clarkson's guest, Daniel Radcliffe, said the show should make amends. 'There should be some system where like if you win something on the first season of something, whatever the prizes become, you should retroactively get that,' he suggested.

Clarkson clarified that the show did promise to give a car to the Season 1 winner. 'They said you get a car and I needed it, [because] my car was bashed in and I couldn't afford the deductible and then... No, I did not get a car,' she explained.

The Show Awarded Cars in Later Seasons

Sparks echoed the sentiment in her TODAY interview. 'Look, I wasn't a part of Season 1,' she said. 'But the first season of anything is a little crazy. I hope they give her one now. Send her a Ford.' Sparks holds the record as the youngest person to ever win American Idol, at 17.

Similar to Aiken and Sparks, Season 4's Carrie Underwood confirmed she also won a Ford Mustang. 'I do still have the car that I won when I won American Idol. So I have my blue Mustang,' she said in a 2023 interview with Kelleigh Bannen.

'It always makes me want to drive it more, because it was such a pivotal point in my life,' she added. '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.'

Contestants Reveal What They Received as Champions

The show's promised grand prize has varied with the seasons. Prestige, contracts, and career growth opportunities awaited the winners, along with a hefty cash prize. Season 16 winner Maddie Poppe told Business Insider she received approximately £187,361 ($250,000), with conditions. Season 19 winner Chayce Beckham also confirmed his cash prize was less than £749,577 ($1 million). He also did not receive a free car, like Clarkson.

Season 5's Taylor Hicks, the show's oldest winner at 29, has since offered Clarkson a helping hand. 'I am a big fan of Kelly Clarkson and consider her one of the most incredible voices to emerge from American Idol,' he told Page Six. 'I would be more than happy to help her find a new Mustang.'