Ellen DeGeneres is a person.
American Idol . Winners chosen by viewers in its fifteen seasons were Kelly Clarkson , Ruben Studdard , Fantasia , Carrie Underwood , Taylor Hicks , Jordin Sparks , David Cook , Kris Allen , Lee DeWyze , Scotty McCreery , Phillip Phillips , Candice Glover , Caleb Johnson , Nick Fradiani , and Trent Harmon.American Idol employed a panel of judges who critiqued the contestants ' performances . The original judges were record producer and music manager Randy Jackson , pop singer and choreographer Paula Abdul and music executive and manager Simon Cowell . Ellen DeGeneres . DeGeneres starred in the popular sitcom Ellen from 1994 to 1998 and has hosted her syndicated TV talk show , The Ellen DeGeneres Show , since 2003 . In 2010 , she was a judge on American Idol for its ninth season .