Carrie Underwood is truly queen of the American Idols.
At least she was in 2013 in terms of making money, according to a report published today by Forbes.
Carrie Underwood at the 2013 CMT Awards. No wonder she’s smiling, based on Forbes’ report of her 2013 earnings. (AP Photo)
During the time period studied by Forbes — June 2012 through June 2013 — Carrie earned $31 million pre-tax.
That’s more than four times the take of the next closest former Idol, Kelly Clarkson, at $7 million during the same time period.
A highly successful fourth album — “Blown Away” — helped. So did earnings from touring and endorsements.
In fact, Forbes reports that Carrie earned more during that time period than any of Idol’s three superstar judges at the time — Keith Urban, Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj.
Carrie also topped the Idol earners list in 2011 ($20 million) and finished in a second-place tie with Chris Daughtry on last year’s list with earnings of $5 million.
Kelly Clarkson topped the 2012 list with earnings of $8 million.
You can check out the full story by heading here.
Meanwhile, here’s Forbes’ top 10 Idol earners for 2013.
1. Carrie Underwood, $31 million
2. Kelly Clarkson, $7 million
3. Phillip Phillips, $5 million
3. Adam Lambert, $5 million
5. Daughtry, $4 million
6. Scotty McCreery, $3 million
7. Taylor Hicks, $2.5 million
8. Fantasia, $1.5 million
8. Kellie Pickler, $1.5 million
10. Katharine McPhee, $1 million
11. Jennifer Hudson, $1 million
