# What happened to American Idol Kelly Clarkson? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 20, 2003, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-american-idol-kelly-clarkson/149798 "2003-01-20T14:30:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![LolaCocaCola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@LolaCocaCola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaCocaCola)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-american-idol-kelly-clarkson/149798/21 "2003-02-12T22:45:21Z")
Isn’t she making a movie with Sideshow Bob? ---
**Author:** ![Mojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Mojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-american-idol-kelly-clarkson/149798/22 "2003-02-12T23:06:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RickJay \* > \*\*If I thought I could win a show that would get me a hit single or two and a million bucks, I’d be out there singing my ass off. Fifteen minutes of fame is enough to set yourself up for life. \*\* Tell that to MC Hammer (or anyone you see on _Behind the Music_ for that matter). Most pop stars sign onerous recording contracts that pay them diddly. IIRC, members of TLC had to file for bankruptcy while their album was going platinum. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-american-idol-kelly-clarkson/149798/23 "2003-02-12T23:56:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mojo \* > \*\*Tell that to MC Hammer (or anyone you see on _Behind the Music_ for that matter). Most pop stars sign onerous recording contracts that pay them diddly. IIRC, members of TLC had to file for bankruptcy while their album was going platinum. \*\* MC Hammer didn’t go broke beacuse he wasn’t making any money. He went broke because he didn’t know how to spend what he was making. He wasted his money on expensive items, bad investments, and the salaries of his employee/friends who were working for him. It is pretty easy for a wealthy person to end up broke if he doesn’t know how to handle the money or he doesn’t hire the right person to help him handle it. Marc ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-american-idol-kelly-clarkson/149798/24 "2003-02-13T01:58:12Z")
I’ve got her chained to my desk. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-american-idol-kelly-clarkson/149798/25 "2003-02-13T02:17:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MGibson \* > \*\*MC Hammer didn’t go broke beacuse he wasn’t making any money. He went broke because he didn’t know how to spend what he was making. He wasted his money on expensive items, bad investments, and the salaries of his employee/friends who were working for him. It is pretty easy for a wealthy person to end up broke if he doesn’t know how to handle the money or he doesn’t hire the right person to help him handle it. > \*\* I’m a little disappointed this even had to be explained. Of course Hammer, TLC, and the lot got scammed by their producers. They STILL made a ton of money, though, and could have been set for life. But they blew it. The AI contract is worth about a million bucks, IIRC. If you make a million bucks, you can set your life up pretty damned good, even if you’re working day jobs in a year until the day you retire. That makes winning American Idol worth it ten times over. But if you buy three Hummers, $250,000 in gold chains, and spend half a million starting up a vanity restaurant, you’ll be as poor as a churchmouse. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-american-idol-kelly-clarkson/149798.md?page=1)