And the winner is… Carrie Underwood, for being “American Idol’s” top-earning alumni, according to Forbes’annual list. The country singer raked in approximately $31 million between June 2012 through June 2013, playing 100 shows on tour and signing endorsement deals with the likes of Olay. Over the past five years, Forbes estimates that has she has earned $83 million. Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, Phillip Phillips and Adam Lambert also made the ranks, which estimated the Idol alumni’s pretax earnings over the 12-month period, “with the help of data from Pollstar Pro, the RIAA, Nielsen SoundScan as well as industry veterans, the musicians’ handlers and some of the artists themselves.” Also making the list were Taylor Hicks, Kellie Pickler, Chris Daughtry, Katharine McPhee and Scotty McCreery. According to Forbes, the five top-earning American Idol alumni are:
1. Carrie Underwood
2. Kelly Clarkson
3. Phillip Phillips, Adam Lambert (tied)
4. Chris Daughtry
