Kelly Clarkson is 2012′s top earning American Idol according to Forbes, with $8 million.
Carrie Underwood ($5m) tied with rocker Chris Daughtry for second place, while Scotty McCreery ($4m) ranked fourth. Kellie Pickler ($1.1m) and pop artist and actress Katharine McPhee tied for eighth.
The calculations are based on estimated income earned from May 2011 to May 2012, before subtracting taxes, American Idol’s cut and any other fees for agents, managers, gifts of hair gel for Ryan Seacrest, etc. See the full list here.
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Not bad since Carrie did not tour much and was working on her album. Some good talent has come out of Idol but Carrie is the best.