What To Know
- Hannah Harper won Season 24 of American Idol.
- In a new podcast interview, she revealed she hasn’t gotten her prize money from the show.
- Harper joked about needing to get a side gig to afford her mortgage.
Hannah Harper’s career has taken off since she won American Idol in May, but she hasn’t yet received the prize money the winner is supposed to get (Season 16 champ Maddie Poppe revealed the winner gets $250,000.) Harper made the revelation on The Acoustic Shoppe Knows People podcast.
The topic came up when the hosts referenced Harper’s recent guest appearance at her local 7 Brew Coffee shop in Missouri. She spent the day making drinks and greeting customers. “You win American Idol, you have some fame, why is it you need to get a job at 7 Brew?” the host asked.
“Well, I haven’t seen that prize money yet, and my mortgage was due, so…” Harper joked.
The American Idol prize made headlines earlier this year when Season 1 winner Kelly Clarkson revealed she never received the $1 million she was supposed to get from winning the inaugural season.
“They were like, ‘Oh, you win a million dollars,’ or whatever,” Clarkson said on her talk show. “No, you didn’t. They lied. It was like a million dollars’ worth of investment in you.” She also revealed she never got the car she was promised, adding, “And I needed it because my car was bashed in, and I couldn’t afford the deductible. And then, no! I did not get a car.”
What Harper did get from her time on the show, though, is a recording contract with 19 Recordings/Atlantic Records. She was also recently signed to a talent agency, WME Group.
Poppe previously discussed the American Idol prize, telling Business Insider in 2022, “You do get $250,000, but not really because of taxes. And you get half of it before you complete your record, and then the second half you get after you complete the record. So it’s just like an advance from the record deal, but I’m pretty sure I have to recoup it.”
Harper has already gotten the ball rolling on her career, though, with tour dates throughout the summer and fall. She’ll even be playing some shows opening for Brad Paisley and Lauren Alaina on their tours later this year.