American Idol season 2 (2003)
Aired on Fox from January 21, 2003 to May 21, 2003. 12 finalists and 24 semifinalists, with their show results and what they did after the show.
The 12 finalists (Top 12).
Finalists
| Finalist | Show result | After the show |
|---|---|---|
| WinnerLast competed May 21, 2003 | Ruben Studdard performs as a solo R&B singer. His official website listed 2025 concert dates from July 30 to September 6, 2025, in Detroit, Temecula, Portsmouth, Old Saybrook and Boston. His latest studio album, The Way I Remember It, came out on SoNo Recording Group (SRG/ILS) in October 2023, and in 2024 he competed with Clay Aiken on The Masked Singer. | |
| Runner-upLast competed May 21, 2003 | Clay Aiken released the holiday album Christmas Bells Are Ringing in November 2024, his first full-length release in more than ten years. On May 11, 2026 he performed a new single, "Rewind", on the American Idol season 24 finale. In October 2026 his official website listed concert dates from October 2026 to March 2027, including a December 2026 holiday run titled "Clay Aiken: Joyful Noise" in Las Vegas. | |
| Eliminated 3rdLast competed May 14, 2003 | Kimberley Locke's most recent documented releases are a 16-track Best Of compilation issued by Curb Records in October 2023 and a 22-track release titled Feel The Love, credited to Cahill and Kimberley Locke, issued by Ansatz Music Group in June 2026. In 2022 she was cast as Diva Donna in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical aboard the cruise ship Norwegian Prima. | |
| Eliminated 4thLast competed May 7, 2003 | Josh Gracin's official website lists "We Got The Summer" (2026) as his newest single and credits 29 Eleven Records in its footer. The site says new tour dates are being announced. His previous listed single, "Blame It On A Girl", came out in 2024. | |
| Eliminated 5thLast competed April 30, 2003 | Trenyce works mainly in musical theatre and cabaret. Her latest documented stage role was Diana Ross in a 2017-2018 North American tour of Motown: The Musical. In 2022 she performed "Good Time", the theme song of Sherri Shepherd's daytime talk show Sherri. | |
| Eliminated 6thLast competed April 23, 2003 | Carmen Rasmusen Herbert has written about entertainment and family for the Deseret News; the newest column on her author page is dated September 16, 2019. Her most recent documented album is Nothin' Like the Summer, released on Lofton Creek Records in August 2007. | |
| Eliminated 7thLast competed April 16, 2003 | Kimberly Caldwell's most recent documented credits are screen roles: the television film Recipe for Love (2014) and the film Monkey Up (2016). Her only post-show studio album, Without Regret, came out on Vanguard and Capitol in April 2011, and in 2012 she hosted the television series Best Ink. | |
| Eliminated 8thLast competed April 9, 2003 | In summer 2003 Rickey Smith toured on the American Idols Live! Tour 2003, which featured 9 of the top 12 season 2 contestants. He died in Oklahoma on May 6, 2016, at age 36, in a road crash involving a wrong-way driver. | |
| Disqualified (9th)Last competed March 26, 2003 | Corey Clark released a self-titled album through Bungalo Records, under a distribution deal with Universal, in June 2005, and the album No More Tears in March 2006. | |
| Eliminated 10thLast competed March 26, 2003 | Julia DeMato toured on the American Idols Live! Tour 2003, from July 8 to August 31, 2003. Her solo number was Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful". | |
| Eliminated 11thLast competed March 19, 2003 | Charles Grigsby releases music independently. After about nine years without singing because of vocal problems, he released the Christian R&B album Hindsight in December 2020 and the single "Christmas Once Again" in December 2022. His website says he is recording a Christmas album. | |
| Eliminated 12thLast competed March 12, 2003 | Vanessa Olivarez writes and performs with Elizabeth Elkins in the duo Granville Automatic. The duo's website announces a new double album, Ghosts of Rooms, for late 2026. Their most recent listed albums are Radio Hymns (2018) and Tiny Televisions (2020), and the two co-wrote the book Hidden History of Music Row with Brian Allison. |
- Winner
- Runner-up
- Other finalists
Semifinalists
Semifinal round: the Top 32, who sang in four groups of eight in February 2003; viewers voted two from each group through to the Top 12.
| Semifinalist | Show result | After the show |
|---|---|---|
| Eliminated in the Wild Card roundLast competed March 5, 2003 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in the Wild Card roundLast competed March 5, 2003 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in the Wild Card roundLast competed March 5, 2003 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in the Wild Card roundLast competed March 5, 2003 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in the Wild Card roundLast competed March 5, 2003 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in semifinal Group 4Last competed February 26, 2003 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in semifinal Group 4Last competed February 26, 2003 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in semifinal Group 4Last competed February 26, 2003 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in semifinal Group 4Last competed February 26, 2003 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in semifinal Group 3Last competed February 19, 2003 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in semifinal Group 3Last competed February 19, 2003 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in semifinal Group 3Last competed February 19, 2003 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in semifinal Group 3Last competed February 19, 2003 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in semifinal Group 3Last competed February 19, 2003 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in semifinal Group 3Last competed February 19, 2003 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in semifinal Group 2Last competed February 12, 2003 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in semifinal Group 2Last competed February 12, 2003 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in semifinal Group 2Last competed February 12, 2003 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in semifinal Group 2Last competed February 12, 2003 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in semifinal Group 2Last competed February 12, 2003 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in semifinal Group 1Last competed February 5, 2003 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in semifinal Group 1Last competed February 5, 2003 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in semifinal Group 1Last competed February 5, 2003 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in semifinal Group 1Last competed February 5, 2003 | No career summary yet. |
Sources
- American Idol season 2 — Wikipedia, September 16, 2026.
- List of American Idol finalists — Wikipedia, June 10, 2026.
- Ruben wins 'Idol' by slim margin — Lawrence Journal-World (Knight Ridder Newspapers), May 22, 2003.
- Ruben Studdard Official 2025 Tour Dates — RubenStuddard.com.
- Ruben Studdard Shares New Album 'The Way I Remember It' — Rated R&B, October 27, 2023.
- Ruben Studdard (Wikipedia revision 1378845648) — Wikipedia, October 6, 2026.
- Clay Aiken Holiday Album 'Christmas Bells Are Ringing' Announced — ClayAiken.com, October 16, 2024.
- Clay Aiken Returns to 'American Idol' 23 Years Later to Perform His New Single 'Rewind' — ClayAiken.com, May 11, 2026.
- Clay Aiken tour dates — ClayAiken.com.
- Feel The Love by Cahill, Kimberley Locke — Apple Music.
- Best Of by Kimberley Locke — Apple Music.
- Kimberley Locke to Set Sail for Summer: The Donna Summer Musical on Norwegian Cruise Line — Playbill, July 25, 2022.
- We Got The Summer - Josh Gracin official website — Josh Gracin, 2026.
- Music - Josh Gracin official website (discography list) — Josh Gracin.
- Josh Gracin official website: home page — Josh Gracin.
- Trenyce (Wikipedia revision 1374951145) — Wikipedia, September 15, 2026.
- Why being the next big daytime talk-show host is still very much a thing — The Washington Post, October 11, 2022.
- Kenneth Mosley, Trenyce, Matt Manuel and Justin Reynolds to Lead Motown the Musical National Tour; Cast Complete! — BroadwayWorld, September 5, 2017.
- Carmen Rasmusen Herbert - author page — Deseret News, September 16, 2019.
- Carmen Rasmusen (Wikipedia revision 1373900367) — Wikipedia, September 8, 2026.
- Kimberly Caldwell (Wikipedia revision 1371032884) — Wikipedia, August 24, 2026.
- Without Regret (album) (Wikipedia revision 1330125003) — Wikipedia, December 29, 2025.
- American Idols Live! Tour 2003 (Wikipedia revision 1376504591) — Wikipedia, September 24, 2026.
- American Idol Contestants Who Have Died — People, January 19, 2023.
- Corey Clark (Wikipedia revision 1371036235) — Wikipedia, August 24, 2026.
- MusicBrainz web service: releases in release group No More Tears (Corey Clark) — MusicBrainz.
- MusicBrainz web service: release group No More Tears (Corey Clark) — MusicBrainz.
- Charles Grigsby (Wikipedia revision 1371036558) — Wikipedia, August 24, 2026.
- New Album From Charles Grigsby — Artist PR, January 7, 2021.
- Charles Grigsby | Independent Artist — Charles Grigsby (official website), 2022.
- Charles Grigsby on Apple Music — Apple Music.
- About - Granville Automatic — Granville Automatic (official website), 2026.
- Music - Granville Automatic — Granville Automatic (official website), 2026.
- Book - Granville Automatic — Granville Automatic (official website), 2026.
- THE READING ROOM: Book Hangs Onto Disappearing History of Music Row — No Depression, September 24, 2020.