Where American Idol's Most Hated Contestants Are Now

As reality television was just starting to come into its own, "American Idol" played a key role in cementing the fledgling genre as a cornerstone of home entertainment in America. More than that, though, it introduced the nation and the rest of the world to singers who would become stars of the music scene over the next decade-plus, like Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood, Adam Lambert, Chris Daughtry, and others. For all the musicians who have parlayed their "American Idol" spots into a level of fame and admiration, though, there are many more who have failed to achieve the same level of notoriety. Then there are those who generated the wrong kind of response from the show's judges and the viewing public.

While the contestants who advance in "American Idol" do so thanks to fans' votes, there's a level of goodwill surrounding them during their time on the show. Unlike, say, "Survivor" or "The Amazing Race," people don't tend to linger long enough to become full-blown villains. That said, there have definitely been a select few who, for one reason or another, managed to generate some serious heat and downright bad vibes during their time on the show. Wondering what became of these contestants? Here's what we know.

When Sanjaya Malakar auditioned for American Idol alongside his sister, Shyamali, in September 2006, he had just turned 17 years old. And, just like big sis, he punched his ticket to Hollywood with a stirring rendition of Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)." In the end, though, it was Sanjaya who advanced in the competition, and he kept advancing, too (all the way to the top 7), even as the judges openly criticized him and viewers wondered how he continued to beat out certain contestants. As noted by The Hollywood Reporter, some of that success can be attributed to Vote For the Worst, a website championed by the likes of Howard Stern that mobilized viewers to do exactly that.

Fast forward to present day and Malakar has moved beyond being the butt of the joke. He came out as bisexual in 2022, explaining on an episode of "The Adam Sank Show" that his family would always support him. "For me, at this point, I don't really care about what people know of my sexuality," he explained (via People). "If I got into a serious long-term relationship with a guy, I would bring him to my family, and they'd be like, 'Oh, cool.'" Malakar also settled into a career as a pastry chef. However, fans can still catch him singing occasionally on TikTok, where, in 2024, he revealed that he had just watched all of his "Idol" performances and joked that he would be performing them all again as an apology. 

While more than a handful of "American Idol" contestants have found themselves embroiled in controversy over the years, perhaps none were caught up in the muck like Season 2's Corey Clark. Clark was owning the stage, advancing to the top 12 when he was suddenly disqualified because his criminal record came to light. The controversy didn't end there, either, as Clark claimed to have engaged in an affair with "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul, who reportedly helped him navigate the competition. As reported by the Daily Mail, Clark went into detail about their alleged sexual relationship in a deposition as he sued the E! Network for its portrayal of him in an "E! True Hollywood Story" episode about Abdul. Clark also provided regular fodder for tabloids like TMZ due to his continuing legal issues.

In 2015, Clark was spotted working as an Uber driver and more recently, he could be seen performing alongside his "Everyday People" band, with whom he celebrated National Nonprofit Day in 2023, in keeping with his support of foster care organizations. Marking his 45th birthday via Instagram in 2025, Clark expressed that his myriad ups and downs "all shaped me, molded me, strengthened me, into who I am today," and gave thanks for his partner, children, and extended family. "Life is a beautiful, precious thing," he added. "We've got to hang on to it with everything we've got & enjoy the ride along the way.'

While he didn't make it past the audition phase, William Hung's polarizing corner of the "American Idol" annals sits comfortably alongside some of the most memorable singers to compete on the show. His Season 3 rendition of Ricky Martin's "She Bangs" is the quintessential bad audition, and it became something of a cultural phenomenon after hitting the airwaves in January 2004. "You can't sing, you can't dance, so what do you want me to say?" judge Simon Cowell said after the performance, to which Hung replied, "I already gave my best, and I have no regrets at all." Ultimately, Hung got the last laugh; his album, "Inspiration," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Independent Album Chart that year, and Hung's quirky, off-key style made him a household name.

But whatever happened to William Hung? After "American Idol," Hung found success on the poker circuit; however, he told People in 2024 that his gambling addiction cost him his second marriage. According to his LinkedIn page, Hung — who describes himself as a data management and analytics professional — works as an administrative services manager for the Los Angeles County Aging & Disabilities Department as of June 2025. He still breaks out his singing talents from time to time, too, as he did while attending SAS Innovate 2025. Hung shared a video of the impromptu performance on Instagram, writing, "We crunched numbers by day and crushed karaoke by night. The correlation between laughs and learning was definitely statistically significant!"

As evidenced by this list, sometimes it's the "American Idol" judges who seem to hate the people competing on the show more than the viewing public that decides with its votes who stays and who goes home. Such was the case for Season 8's Megan Joy as her competition wore on. Simon Cowell said of one of her later performances (via Deseret News), "It was indulgent, it was monotonous, and all the things we liked about you are disappearing." Randy Jackson added, "It was like watching paint dry. It took forever." Meanwhile, Paula Abdul seemingly made a dig about her out-there dance moves. In the end, Joy's persona and performance style proved to be too quirky for the program and she was eliminated in the top 9, but that was hardly the end of her musical journey.

Joy went on to marry Quinn Allman, guitarist and founding member of the emo band The Used. Together, the duo began releasing music together as VadaWave. In August 2025, Joy took to Instagram to recognize the couple's anniversary, writing, "15 years happened in a blink. ... How is it that I keep falling more and more in love with you?" Aside from being a wife, mother, and performer, Joy is working to cultivate the next generation of singers and musicians as a vocals teacher for Salt Lake City's School of Rock chapter.

Another Vote For the Worst superstar, the mop-topped Tim Urban was actually axed from the show before cracking the Top 24. However, he subsequently received a new lease on life amid Chris Golightly's disqualification due to having previously inked a recording contract, as reported by Billboard in 2010. From there, the Vote For the Worst apparatus was in full effect, pushing the Texas native through round after round. Urban made it all the way to the Top 7 show, but he didn't much care for the VFTW bump he had received each week, telling reporters, "I'm actually kind of sad that I was on that website," via the Ledger-Enquirer. 

Despite having his "Idol" run leveraged for trolling and humor, Urban hasn't stopped sharing his musical talents. As his Facebook page shows, he still performs from time to time. Urban also has two children with his longtime wife; in late 2024, he shared an Instagram snap of the family at Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers, after having sung the National Anthem prior to a game. 

Arthur Gunn's "American Idol" story began as the sort of tale that Hollywood movies are made from. After growing up in Nepal, he followed his siblings to the U.S. as a teenager, settling in with his family in Kansas. Later, he made money performing in coffeehouses and on street corners in cities around the U.S., as reported by Billboard, including Wichita, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York. He also spent a summer playing on the boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland. Eventually, he got onto "Idol," finishing as Season 18's runner-up finalist. Had his run on the show actually ended there, it would be remembered more fondly. Instead, he was brought back the following season as a comeback contestant — a development that didn't sit well with some fans, according to the U.S. Sun. He later dropped out of the Season 19 finale, citing "personal morals and values due to unpleasant environmental experiences," per People.

In the years since his "Idol" journey, Gunn has continued to perform and release music, recently doing so under his given name, Dibesh Pokharel. His third album, Ojhel, dropped in 2024 and any of the songs have been uploaded to his YouTube channel, which, as of this writing, boasts nearly 600,000 subscribers.

Baylee Littrell was well known to some long before he graced the "American Idol" stage. The country singer is the son of a pop icon in Backstreet Boys member Brian Littrell. However, that association may have been detrimental to his cause during the "Idol" run. As reported by Us Weekly, Baylee found it difficult forming connections with his fellow contestants, telling the outlet, "It was hard to make friends, and it was hard for people to understand me because a lot of people, they did have preconceived notions of how I would be," in April 2025. Baylee also faced criticism while he was still in the competition, with some opining that he was coasting off his father's fame. "I don't think he deserved his spot at all," one person remarked in a Reddit forum. Another wrote, "Baylee Littrell is not a very good singer. The only reason he made it to the top 24 is that Carrie is a Backstreet Boys fan. Period." In the end, Baylee was eliminated in the Top 20.

In the months since his elimination, Baylee has continued the effort to forge his own path in the music business, releasing the track "Hey Jesus." Littrell previously performed the track while he was still on "Idol." Littrell currently has future performance dates listed on his website. In July 2025, Littrell told Music Mayhem that he may be recording an album in the near future, but that other music would be released as well. "A lot of songs that are going to be released are very raw, like two takes in the studio," he revealed. The singer added that there would be acoustic and gospel elements in some of those songs.

From the jump, it was clear that Season 4's Scott Savol wasn't your typical "American Idol" contestant. After performing a soulful rendition of The Carpenters' "Superstar," Simon Cowell remarked about his appearance and overall vibe, saying, "If you walked into a record company, if you got in, I think they'd throw you out even before you sang." Despite that — plus a dark secret that included a domestic violence charge — Savol made it onto the show and advanced all the way to the Top 5, thanking his fans and his maker along the way. Unfortunately, he was also getting the Vote For the Worst bump, which made him a polarizing figure with the pundits who followed the show.

Despite the controversy surrounding his "Idol" run, Savol was not deterred from pursuing his dreams in the entertainment business. In summer 2025, Savol performed in the musical stage play "Father Figure."  The Cleveland native has also released and performed his own music in the years since he first came into the public consciousness, releasing the single "Round Midnight" in 2021. In September 2025, Savol also revealed on Facebook that he'd begun working as a bus driver.