American Idol crowned its first winner 23 years ago today, kickstarting Kelly Clarkson’s life as a superstar.
The Grammy-winning artist, 43, celebrated her big win via Instagram on Thursday, September 4, and began her message by thanking her day-one fans who voted her as the first-ever American Idol.
“Winning American Idol changed my life and I will be forever grateful for all of you that have supported me for so many years,” Kelly captioned the post. “It is a gift to find your purpose and passion, and to be able to make a living doing it is the cherry on top. Thank you, always.”
The Kelly Clarkson Show host paired the message with a photo of the moment she was announced the winner and embraced by her fellow contestants, including runner-up Justin Guarini, Nikki McKibbin and Christina Christian.
Photo by Kevin Winter/ImageDirectPhoto by Kevin Winter/ImageDirect
Fans celebrated Kelly’s 23rd anniversary of her big win, with most admitting that they fell in love with her early on in the competition.
“You had me at ‘cool beans’ before the audition even started (your backup plan was to be a fashion designer and you were wearing a denim outfit you made),” one person wrote in the comments section of the post. “And then … you sang, and I remember thinking ‘that girl don’t need a backup plan’ you’re still the best!”
Kelly brought fans to tears when she performed “A Moment Like This” as her winning song, which later became her debut single.
In 2024, the Voice mentor forgot the anniversary of her big win when her producer reminded her of the date.
“Oh my god! I didn’t even – when you said that date I got nervous, like, ‘Did I miss an anniversary?’” she laughed. “Twenty-two years since winning American Idol. You know what? And I’m back on TV, who would have thought? That’s so exciting! Andy, I forgot. I didn’t realize what day it was.”
This story was originally reported by Parade on Sep 4, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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