The American singing competition show American Idol β; βpresent has generated controversy over the years in numerous areas. Many of the controversies have centered on the show's voting process and results, and in later seasons, gender bias against female contestants, as well as contestant comments.
Another major source of controversy that has spanned multiple seasons has been the activities of contestants prior to competing on the show such as past recording contracts in contravention of the rules, and undisclosed criminal charges. Voting has been the biggest source of controversy with American Idol becoming embroiled in numerous controversies in various seasons over the voting process and its results. Around people using auto-dialing software and their home dial-up modems reportedly placed as many as 10, votes a night.
Out of 24 million votes recorded following the second season finale, Ruben Studdard finished just , votes ahead of Clay Aiken. There was confusion over the winning margin as host Ryan Seacrest initially announced it as 13,, later again 1,, and then finally corrected by Fox as , In an interview prior to the start of the fifth season, executive producer Nigel Lythgoe revealed for the first time that Aiken had led the fan voting from the wild card week onward until the finale.
During the second season, a phone scam operation based in Salt Lake City , Utah was discovered, in which people were tricked into believing that viewers could vote for their favorites through an number, rather than the number used on the show.
During the Wild Card round, twelve contestants were invited back to participate. However, after being evaluated during the week in rehearsals, only eight were chosen by the judges to perform that night. One performer was chosen by public vote, and one performer was chosen by each of the three judges.
