American Idol (season 7) American Idol (season 7) The seventh season of "American Idol", the annual reality show and singing competition, began on January 15, 2008 and concluded on May 21, 2008. Ryan Seacrest continued to host the show with Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson returning as judges. David Cook was announced the winner of the competition on May 21, 2008, defeating runner-up David Archuleta by a margin of roughly 12 million votes out of over 97 million, which was at that time the highest recorded vote total ever recorded in the show's history. The split was 56% to 44%. The seventh
American Idol controversies judge Simon Cowell. On the April 21, 2010 "Idol Gives Back" special, the show went over its scheduled 2-hour slot to 10:24 PM EST. Seacrest did warn viewers at the end of the previous night's performance show that the episode would run overtime. Due to this, Tim Urban, the contestant that was eliminated that night, did not get to sing his final song. Immediately after winning "American Idol" on September 4, 2002, Kelly Clarkson was arranged to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" by her then management company, 19 Entertainment, at a special commemoration the following week for the first anniversary of