Kelly Clarkson Was Working at Papa John’s Before She Racked Up Her $45 Million Net Worth (2024)

If you walk up to any person on the street and ask them about Kelly Clarkson, there’s a decent chance that they’ve not only heard of the Grammy award-winning singer, but also could name one or two of her hit songs. Clarkson first rose to fame when she won the very first season of American Idol in 2002. Nearly two decades later, her career is only growing stronger by the day.

Clarkson’s success expands far beyond the music industry. In addition to her best-selling records, the mom of two also has her own Emmy award-winning television show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, is a coach on NBC’s The Voice, and has starred in films like Trolls and UglyDolls. All of her creative endeavors have paid off: Clarkson’s estimated net worth totals $45 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

Clarkson credits her success to her genuine nature. “Look, if my ship sinks, that’s totally fine, but I want to be the one at the helm,” she told Marie Claire in 2018. “I want to be the one steering the boat. It’s cool if it sinks and it doesn’t work out, but I don’t want it to sink [with] me relying and thinking somebody else is going to make something happen for me and compromise to a point to where it’s not me.”

Ahead, a deeper dive into Clarkson’s career—and how she made millions along the way.

She became the first winner of American Idol and signed a $1 million contract.

Clarkson grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, where she (and everyone else!) sang in her high school choir. From there, her love of singing flourished, and she eventually decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue a career in music, she explained on The Kelly Clarkson Show.

To make end’s meat as she worked on her demo reel, Clarkson worked as a comedy club co*cktail waitress and was a server at Papa John’s and Subway.

In 2002, a friend told Clarkson about a new show called American Idol. She became one of 10,000 contestants to try out for the debut season. After capturing the heart of America, she became the show’s first champion. The result? Instant fame and a $1 million contract with RCA Records. Her first single “A Moment Like This” hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 twice, and her second album Breakaway won two Grammys.

Her career blossomed quickly. Clarkson produced seven albums over the span of 13 years with RCA. By 2015, the singer had sold 13 million albums and scored 10 top 10 hits under the record label. Following the release of “Piece by Piece” with RCA, she signed a long-term contract with Atlantic Records in 2016 for an undisclosed amount.

In 2016, she made history and became the first American Idol contestant to achieve a whopping 100 Billboard No. 1 hits. In total, she has released eight records, selling 25 million albums and 40 million singles worldwide.

She’s also headlined nine tours and co-headlined five tours from 2002 into 2019. Not to mention, she has collected a number of awards, including three Grammys, four American Music Awards, two Academy of Country Music Awards, and one Country Music Association Award. Clarkson is the first artist to top each of Billboard’s pop, adult contemporary, country, and dance charts.

She’s now a regular coach on The Voice.

In 2018, Clarkson joined The Voice as a coach for season 14, a full circle moment for someone who got her start on a singing competition show. It was such a great success that she subsequently appeared as a coach on seasons 15, 17, and 18—winning seasons 14, 15, and 17. She’s currently coaching on season 19 alongside Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, and John Legend.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Clarkson’s salary as a judge on The Voice is a sizable $560,000 per episode, which adds up to around $14 million per season. Previously, Clarkson’s salary was $13 million per season. Not bad!

Her talk show has been incredibly successful.

While her career skyrocketed on The Voice, Clarkson dappled in other TV and film opportunities. In September 2019, she debuted her own NBC talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, where she does “Kellyoke” and interviews special guests (including the original Idol judges!).

Just one month after the show first aired, she was averaging nearly 2 million viewers per episode. In June 2020, The Kelly Clarkson Show won a Daytime Emmy, as it became the most watched new talk show in seven years, Deadline reported.

On top of that, she even starred in films, including Trolls and UglyDolls, likely earning a nice sum for those roles.

She married Brandon Blackstock in 2013.

Clarkson married talent manager Brandon Blackstock in 2013. The couple shares two children, Remington Alexander and River Rose. Celebrity Net Worth reports that Blackstock has a net worth of $5 million.

In June 2020, Clarkson and Blackstock filed for divorce after six years of marriage. While a prenup was signed, things have become a bit messy as Blackstock’s father and his management company are reportedly suing, alleging that Clarkson will owe them $5.4 million at the end of 2020.

She owns millions in real estate.

In 2018, Clarkson bought an $8.5 million 10,000-square-foot mansion in Encino, California. Following her divorce, Clarkson listed her home in Encino for nearly $10 million.

She also purchased a 20,000-square-foot home in Henderson, Tennessee for $3 million in 2012. Clarkson and Blackstock recently listed the lake-side home for $7.5 million. The two are looking at a nice profit if the mansions sell.

Clarkson also has a rustic log cabin in Montana, where she spent a lot of her time during quarantine. She purchased the ranch in 2015 for $2 million.

At 38, Clarkson has achieved so much success as a singer, songwriter, television host, and public figure. In fact, she’s become the very definition of an American Idol, becoming one of the most successful artists of our time.

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