Kelly Clarkson Reflects On American Idol Days In Milestone Tribute

"American Idol" is responsible for birthing many stars we all love today. Without the talent show competition, we wouldn't have the likes of Carrie Underwood, Jordin Sparks, Adam Lambert, or Fantasia, who all took part in the show after its first season. However, the show's first winner, Kelly Clarkson, set the bar high. As noted by ChartMasters, the "Miss Independant" hitmaker has achieved more than 34 million equivalent album sales.

Even though Clarkson winning the show was more than deserved, she confessed to Entertainment Weekly in 2017 that she didn't actually want to win after finding out that whoever would win the big recording contract would also have to star in a movie. With that being said, she is still proud of how she got started. In 2020, the talk show host celebrated the 18th anniversary of her winning "American Idol" on Twitter. "It changed my life!" she wrote, adding, "I'm still hustlin 18 years later because I know I am blessed to have the opportunities and I still love my purpose!"

It seems Clarkson is reflecting over her win once again. This time, however, it's for another milestone. Believe it or not, it's been two whole decades since she became the nation's first Idol.

Time flies when you're having fun! September 4 marked the 20th anniversary since the U.S. public voted for Kelly Clarkson to become their first-ever winner of "American Idol." Since winning the show, the "Never Again" hitmaker has won three Grammy Awards and achieved eight top 10 albums on the US Billboard 200 chart, three of which reached the top spot.

To honor the 20th anniversary of her win, Clarkson took to Instagram to share a heartfelt message about the opportunity that changed her life. "That moment was the door that opened up so much access and opportunity, and creative partnerships that I will be grateful for all of my days. The family and friendships I have created over these 20 years in music and tv are priceless to me," she wrote. Clarkson noted that she is, "blessed of the successes and failures" she has learned from, crediting her friends and family for helping her when she needed them the most. "Thank you to every single person that voted 20 years ago!" she added. And with more than 308,000 likes on her post as of this writing, it's easy to see that fans continue to vote for her again every single day with their unyielding support.