Kellie Pickler: 25 Facts About The American Idol Contestant Turned Country Star

While she didn't win "American Idol," the experience was still a positive one for Kellie Pickler. Not only did it help her launch her career, but it was also a lot of fun. Pickler was just 19 years old and had never even been on an airplane when she appeared on the show. She may have been young, but Pickler quickly proved her talent and even won over the notoriously picky judge Simon Cowell. Of her time, she told Spotlight Central, "I just think it went really fast! ... But it was an incredible experience."

If Pickler has one regret about her time on "American Idol," it's that she didn't keep a journal when she was on the show. "I wish I had written so many things down and kept notes," she said. With or without notes, the show was a transformative experience for Pickler. "[I]t completely changed my life for the better. It led me to Nashville, and it helped my dreams to become a reality."

Because Kellie Pickler rose to fame on reality TV, she faced the risk of not being taken seriously in the wider entertainment industry. (After all, many "American Idol" stars didn't find the fame and fortune they expected after they competed on the series.) When asked by Oregon Live if she was worried that people would look down on her for being on reality TV, Pickler said that there will always be people trying to bring others down. "Everyone pays their dues in different ways," she said.

No one can say that Pickler hasn't paid her dues many times over. As she once told Parade, "'[American] Idol' was the rocket that launched my career, and I've tried to surround myself with good people of integrity and I work hard." While most of the people who competed on her season of "American Idol" have been forgotten, Pickler has thrived. "I've been blessed to be a part of things that I'm passionate about and have my dreams become reality," she said.

Thanks to her "American Idol" appearance, Kellie Pickler became pretty famous at a very young age. While this was great news for her career and Pickler has made the most of her success, things could have very easily gone in the opposite direction. Fortunately, Pickler has managed to stay grounded and hasn't succumbed to the vices that so often come with fame. According to the singer, her inner circle is one of the big reasons why. As she told The Press-Enterprise, "After 'Idol,' I surrounded myself with good people."

In fact, this strategy worked so well for Pickler that she passes it along to anyone who might listen. As she told the outlet, "The best advice I can give anyone pursuing a life in the entertainment industry, or just pursuing anything in life is to surround yourself in good company and people that are better than you." This may mean letting go of some people, but, if Pickler's example is anything to go by, it's worth it. "You have got to cut toxic and negative people out of your life," she said.

Kellie Pickler showed off yet another one of her talents on her talk show "Pickler & Ben." The series premiered in 2017 and was co-hosted with Ben Aaron. The show was canceled after only two seasons, much to Pickler's disappointment, who, along with her co-host, really enjoyed the gig — and not just because it was a steady paycheck. "I think we both fell in love with the show for the same reasons," she told Taste of Country. "It's positive, it's fun, it's uplifting. It's one hour of just pure joy and laughter."

"Pickler & Ben" may have been short-lived, but the talk show was proof of just how diverse Pickler's talents are. The talk show wasn't her first television show, though. Pickler landed her own reality series, "I Love Kellie Pickler," in 2015. "This show is about laughter and love," she told Broadway World). "We just want to be a bright light and make people laugh and feel good."

While some people might want space from their partners and to separate their work life and their home life, Kellie Pickler was perfectly happy to combine them. In fact, she truly loved working with her husband, producer and songwriter Kyle Jacobs, before his tragic passing in 2023. The singer told People that they didn't waste any time in collaborating, working on their very first song together the day after they met. "He is so good at what he does," said Pickler.

Pickler told Spotlight Central that she admired her husband, who plays many instruments, and said that working with him was "wonderful" because "nobody knows me better."

Music wasn't just something that they did together to make a living, either; it was something that they both loved and enjoyed sharing together. Pickler said that "it's really neat that we are able to share the same passion for music and for putting our lives into songs," adding that Jacobs was her "favorite person to write with."

While many singers dream of crossover success in both pop and country, Kellie Pickler's heart has always been with country music. In an interview with CNN, the singer revealed that she never had any desire to be a pop singer, in spite of the pop-country sound of her early career. Instead, Pickler grew up idolizing legendary country artists like Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, and Tammy Wynette. "I don't know if it was the fact that their music felt so real and all of their songs came from a real place in their life," she said. "I feel like we were all raised the same."

Her third album, "100 Proof," was released in 2012 and followed in the tradition of those iconic women. "I've always wanted to make records like this," Pickler admitted, although she added that she understood why studio executives steered her towards a more pop sound in the beginning as she was a relative unknown and "they have a formula and have to play certain things safe." However, she noted, "I never wanted to be a pop singer."

While some writers may have a set plan to their writing day or, at the very least, have a plan when it comes to tackling a writing project, Kellie Pickler just goes with the flow. Whenever the inspiration strikes her, she has her pen at the ready. She is not the type to map what she's going to work on, either. "I just write about whatever I feel like that day," Pickler told CNN. "I don't ever sit down with a plan."

One notable example of this is the song "Best Days of Your Life," which she co-wrote with Taylor Swift when they were on tour with Brad Paisley. The song came about with no planning whatsoever. The pair started writing when Pickler had some personal drama to work through. "I stormed on our bus and I was upset about a boy and we just ended up writing about it," she said. Everything unfolded from there. "No intentions of writing, just talking and we started playing," said Pickler. "Never thought anyone would hear it."

Up until her husband's death, Kellie Pickler had been happily married since 2011. Throughout the course of their marriage, they remained perfectly content on their own, and didn't feel any sort of rush to have kids. 

In 2014, Pickler explained in an interview with ABC News that she and her husband enjoyed just being together without adding kids into the mix. What's more, her life on the road kept her plenty busy. "I have a band, so that's kind of like having kids," she quipped to the outlet. "I feel like we are newlyweds, we have so much to do and enjoy just the two of us."

Even years later, things didn't change too much. While Pickler moved on from "parenting" her band to becoming a pet parent. As she told Us Weekly in 2019, the couple was proudly raising their new puppies. "We're dog parents for now," she said. At the time, she and her husband still weren't thinking about having kids in the near future.

Kellie Pickler and fellow "American Idol" alum Katharine McPhee bonded when they both competed on Season 5 of the reality show, on which McPhee finished as runner-up. Pickler was even a bridesmaid at McPhee's 2007 wedding to her first husband, Nick Cokas. "I was so honored when Katharine asked me to be a bridesmaid," Pickler told People. "[The wedding] was like a fairy tale. I didn't want it to end." Pickler was at McPhee's side when the marriage ended, too, going on vacation with her friend after she filed for divorce. 

While McPhee wasn't a bridesmaid at Pickler's 2011 nuptials, there was a good reason for it: Pickler eloped. McPhee was initially slated to stand up for her friend at her wedding, though, telling Parade she'd even gone for a dress fitting before Pickler opted out of the big ceremony. "I was really mad!" she said, adding, "I heard about [the elopement] on Twitter! ... I was bummed."

Kellie Pickler's life has changed a lot since her "American Idol" days, but she has not let the fame go to her head; the glitz and glam hasn't taken over her world. In an interview with E! News, she admitted that she is a bit of a homebody who enjoys the simpler things in life. "I love gardening. My friends call me the fifth unofficial Golden Girl," she said. "I love puzzles. I love good conversations. I love to sit on the front porch in my rocking chair. I just like to be in good company."

While Pickler loves her career, she's got a healthy work/life balance, and it's her roles in her family and her community that are more important to her. "I hate the word celebrity," she said. "I clock out of that world as quick as possible and I keep my feet on solid ground in the real world."

Pickler's down-to-earth attitude was inspired by country legend Dolly Parton. In an interview with Sounds Like Nashville, Pickler said, "Everybody's gotta make a living. But like the Dolly quote, 'Don't get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.' There's a difference, you know?"

The world knows that Kellie Pickler can sing, act, and dance, so starring in a musical seems like a logical next step. Pickler told Sounds Like Nashville in 2021 that she would love to be on Broadway, and that some discussions were in the works. As of this writing, it seems she's still waiting for that dream to become a reality.

Still, we're willing to bet that Pickler will hit the Broadway stage at some point in her career. She even has a role in mind: fellow country crooner Tammy Wynette. "I want them to do like a Tammy Wynette Broadway musical!" she once told Country Weekly (via Playbill). "I know Dolly Parton has her Broadway shows and I think if anybody lived a country song, it's Tammy."

In the same interview, she said that her "Dancing With the Stars" partner, Derek Hough, said he could see her playing Roxie in "Chicago," and Pickler seemed keen to tackle the role. "That would be amazing!" she said. "I've watched that move a million times. I know it by heart."

Misogyny is nothing new in the music industry, and country music is no exception. Even megastars like Shania Twain and Dolly Parton have called out gender bias in this male-dominated genre. In 2015, a radio consultant named Keith Hill sparked controversy when he told Country Aircheck that female artists should have significantly less radio play than male artists. Hill went on to claim he had data proving that country music fans prefer male artists. "Trust me," he said, "I play great female records and we've got some right now; they're just not the lettuce in our salad. The lettuce is Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton, Keith Urban and artists like that. The tomatoes of our salad are the females." Naturally, Hill's comments struck a nerve, especially with female country singers who didn't appreciate being compared to a salad ingredient. The incident came to be known as "Tomatogate." 

When asked for her thoughts on "Tomatogate," Kellie Pickler made it clear that the criticism didn't bother her. "There are bigger issues going on in the world than being called a tomato," the singer told Rolling Stone. "I've been called worse!" Rather than adding fuel to the "Tomatogate" fire, Pickler said she was counting her blessings. "If our biggest thing is fighting to get on the radio, then that's a good problem to have, considering what other women are dealing with around the world, who would do anything to trade problems with women in country music." 

Since making a name for herself on "American Idol," Kellie Pickler has enjoyed an eclectic multi-media career. From music to television, she's not afraid to branch out — and in doing so, she's earned a fortune. Pickler's debut album, "Small Town Girl," sold a whopping 79,000 copies within one week of its release. With a career total of more than two million records sold, Pickler is one of the best-selling "American Idol" artists in the show's history. 

Additionally, the country crooner earned payouts from various movie and television roles,including her aforementioned reality TV gig. Her net worth reportedly falls somewhere in the ballpark of $4 million. Not too shabby for a self-proclaimed small town girl. 

Pickler's lucrative career has afforded her a luxurious lifestyle. In 2023, the songstress placed her Nashville home on the market for a cool $2.8 million. According to Realtor.com, the estate boasts four bedrooms, a wine cellar, a game room, and a grandiose swimming pool. Pickler and her late husband purchased the stunning abode in 2010 for just under $1.5 million. She's also the proud owner of a lavish motorhome outfitted with four televisions, a mini-spa, and a humongous shoe rack.