Kellie Pickler gained a lot of fame and popularity after she participated in the 5th season of American Idol and finished 6th.
In 2006 Kellie Pickler signed with 19 Recordings and BNA Records, where she released her debut album “Small Town Girl” – an album that sold over 900,000 copies. Some of the tracks like Things That Never Cross a Man’s Mind, I wonder, and Red High Heels made it into the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.
Kellie Pickler Bio
Pretty Kellie Pickler was born on June 28, 1986, in Albemarle, North Carolina, as the daughter of Cynthia Morton and Clyde Raymond Pickler Jr. Her mother left her when she was just two years old to return after a while, took her in custody for another two years, and then left her again.
The court had to return her to her grandparents who had raised her, and as for her father, he was never part of her life. Kellie said in an interview that her biggest influences are her grandparents who were always there for her.
Pickler graduated from high school (North Stanly High School, New London, North Carolina) in 2004.
After high school, she worked as a waitress in a Sonic Drive-In franchise. In 2005, she participated in the WSOC television show Gimme the Mike! Charlotte competition, where she finished second.
She also entered the Miss America Pageant when she was 17; she won the Miss Stanly County Pageant that same year, and in 2004 she entered the Miss North Carolina Pageant but did not win.
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American Idol
In 2005 the 19-year-old Pickler auditioned for American Idol and impressed the jury with her performance of both Kelly Clarkson’s Since You’ve Been Gone and Martina McBrides A Broken Wing. She received a pass to Hollywood, where she went through every step of the competition until she reached the semi-finals in February and the top 12 in March.
She was one of Simon Cowell’s favorites, he said he preferred her to Carrie Underwood (Season 4 winner) and predicted she would finish in the last three, unfortunately, she finished in 6th place.
In an article published in US Weekly under the title “Kellie: The Next Jessica Simpson”, Kellie was compared to Jessica Simpson because of her “cute Southern style and ditzy demeanor”.
Pickler explained several times during the show that she was not heavily exposed to modern pop culture and hardly ever performed in front of a real audience – this might have given her some kind of advantage.
After leaving the idol she returned to her hometown where she was warmly welcomed by the whole community. The mayor proclaimed the day as “Kellie Pickler Day”. She also received numerous awards from local and state officials. Kellie also reunited with her father.
Post Idol Career
In July 2006 she signed a record deal with 19 Recordings and BNA Records and in October of the same year, she released her first album entitled Small Town Girl. Some of the album’s tracks, such as Things That Never Cross a Man’s Mind, I wonder, and Red High Heels made it into the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.
Her second album Kellie Pickler and her third album 100 Proof were released in 2008 and 2012 respectively. In 2012 she signed a new record deal with Black River Entertainment, releasing her first single Someone Somebody Tonight in May 2013 and her fourth album The Woman I Am in November.
Husband
Kellie is currently married to country songwriter, singer, guitarist, and pianist Kyle Jacobs. The couple sealed the marriage in a small ceremony that took place in the Caribbean in January 2011. Since then they have stayed together, and although the couple has no children of their own, they are obviously happy together.
Net Worth: How Rich Is Kellie Pickler?
Although her daily, weekly, monthly and annual earnings are not available online, Kellie’s net worth is estimated at around $5 million.
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Other Celebrity Facts You Must Know
In February 2013, Pickler competed in the 16th season of Dancing With The Stars. with dance coach Derek Hough as a partner, and the duo won the Mirror Ball Trophy.
In 2015, Pickler hosted the life-changing television show Knock Knock Live with Ryan Seacrest. She also appeared on a reality show on CMT with her husband, songwriter Kyle Jacobs.
After 10 years of participation in American Idol, she returned to the show in 2016, this time not as a contestant, but first as a mentor and then as an actress in the show’s finale.
Pickler’s closest friends are Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Kree Harrison, and Katharine McPhee. In 2012 Pickler shaved her head in support of her friend Summer Miller, who was undergoing chemotherapy at the time.
She is also a philanthropist, actively supporting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, helping them raise funds, and giving gifts to the children on special occasions. She has also performed to support various other charities.
