It’s the end of an era.
Fox’s “American Idol,” the granddaddy of modern TV talent shows, calls it a wrap on Thursday after 15 seasons, innumerable memories and hundreds of millions of viewers (and viewer texts).
The pop-culture touchstone turned original judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson — plus host Ryan Seacrest — into household names. At one point, “Idol” averaged more than 35 million viewers a week — staggering numbers — and was one of the country’s most-talked-about shows as America loved, laughed and cried with its favorite “Idol” contestants.
Kelly Clarkson, the show’s very first winner way back in 2002, remains a top-selling musical artist — and, over the years, “Idol” has produced a steady stream of stars including Kellie Pickler, Clay Aiken, Carrie Underwood, Adam Lambert, Fantasia Barrino, Constantine Maroulis and Chris Daughtry. Jennifer Hudson, a Season 3 favorite in 2004-05, won an Oscar for her role in the 2006 movie “Dreamgirls.”
To help celebrate the end of “American Idol,” The Post reached out to some past contestants and a judge, asking them to share their memories of the show — and what it meant and continues to mean to them.
Constantine Maroulis
Season 4 (2005)
Age at the time: 29
Hometown: Wyckoff, NJ
Finish: 6th place
It absolutely was an overwhelming, surreal experience for me, even as a drama-school kid fresh out of The Boston Conservatory and as the lead in the “Rent” tour. I had seen the world and the country, but nothing could have prepared me for the experience of being on “American Idol.” I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. I always play to win, and I knew I was never beating [fellow contestant] Carrie Underwood. Everything happened the way it was supposed to happen.
I remember Simon saying to me, “Astonishing,” after my performance of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” That was a big moment for me. And I remember Paula saying that she was falling in love with me. Randy was always a little tough on me but he said I had star power.
The entire experience happened so fast and I’m trying to pass that on to the current contestants — enjoy it, it’s going to go by so fast. Enjoy every second of it. Take the opportunity to create something for yourself.
Taylor Hicks
Season 5 (2006)
Age at the time: 29
Hometown: Birmingham, Ala.
Finish: Winner
I went from playing small venues in the Southeast to playing in Southeast Asia in six months [after winning “Idol”]. The scope of winning the show . . . that’s something you can’t put into words, can’t describe. It’s something I’ve been grateful for as an entertainer.
I disagreed with Simon saying that I danced “like a drunk uncle at a wedding,” but I was very lucky because, after five seasons, the judges were just hitting their stride. Some of their ideas and some of their comments were spot-on.
It was an amazing crash course in show business, and I think it still is, to a certain degree. “American Idol” was, for a long time — and possibly still is — a wonderful TV show about America voting for their respective favorites. But, to a certain degree, it’s also a learning tool for liberal-arts programs that aren’t present in some schools . . . it stands as a music education for young kids who might not have known who Rod Stewart or Burt Bacharach is.
Winning the show is something I’m very proud of. If you think about it, there are only going to be 15 winners of this show and upwards of 400-500 runners-up. When you win “American Idol” and carry that with you as long as you live — it’s something I’m very thankful for and prideful of. It’s how I got my start in show business.
Kara DioGuardi
Judge, Seasons 8 and 9 (2009, 2010)
Experience: Singer/songwriter, producer, A&R exec
Trivia: Expanded panel to four judges, joining Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paul Abdul
I think [the experience] was definitely something that helped me grow in a lot of ways, both personally and professionally. It put me in front of a live audience, and I’d never done anything like that — I was always behind the scenes — and it helped me face a lot of things I was normally fearful of and come through them. Ultimately, it made me a stronger person and also helped me be a better A&R person, to be really accountable and concise about what I said.
“American Idol” came at a point in my life where I had just met my husband, and I put a premium on my family afterwards and moved to Maine. It was a blessing, in a sense — hey, how many people get to say they were on “American Idol” and sitting next to Paula and Randy? It was a pretty incredible opportunity and I’m thankful for it, even though it had its ups and downs. I started to look at the rest of my life and was kind of like, “I’m 40-something — if I don’t have a kid now, I don’t know when I’m going to do it,” so I was focused on that.
I think there was a big misconception of me: I didn’t go on “Idol” to be famous or to be a person going on TV. I went on “Idol” because it was a natural extension of what I was doing, and it was an honor to be asked. I didn’t go on the show to ultimately become an anchor on “The View.” It was the icing on the cake, like, “Wow, I get to do this.”
Pia Toscano
Season 10 (2011)
Age at the time: 22
Hometown: Howard Beach, Queens
Finish: 9th place
Oh, my God, it was the best time of my life. I strived to be on that show for years and started auditioning when I was 16. It took me four times and I made it the fifth time. It was my dream; I was 13 when I started watching the show and I said to my father, “Daddy, you’re going to be watching me at the ‘Idol’ finale one day.” I had to make that dream come true. The show opened up so many doors for me. It was a phenomenal experience and almost went by too fast. I wish I would have lived more in the moment so I could have enjoyed it, like when Stevie Wonder was on the show.
Jennifer Lopez has been a mentor in my life ever since “Idol.” I’m in her Vegas show and she’s become very close to me and given me tons of advice through the years. When I was eliminated, and was distraught and thought my career was ending and no one was gonna work with me, she was like, “I’ve had so many doors slammed in my face. Don’t you ever think this is your last opportunity.”
Scotty McCreery
Season 10 (2011)
Age at the time: 17
Hometown: Garner, NC
Finish: Winner
Winning the show is a lot of things. One, I was ecstatic. I was in la-la land. I was looking at the confetti. It was a build-up of being in LA, the excitement of being in LA. It was the time of my life but it was tough out there.
[During Hollywood Week, McCreery forgot some of the lyrics to a Lee Ann Womack song, “I Hope You Dance,” and thought he should be sent home.]
I did. I even texted my friends back home and said, “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.” I told Jennifer Lopez that she should have cut me. She said, “You’ve got bigger things coming.” I guess it was a foreshadowing. I was very grateful for that.