Reality bites for American Idol’s 2020 winner: Just Sam forced back into singing at N.Y.C. subways after her victory failed to turn into the Kelly Clarkson fairytale

Former American Idol winner Samantha ‘Just Sam’ Diaz revealed they are back to singing on subways, three years after earning a $250,000 cash prize and recording contract from Hollywood Records.

Despite their victory on ABC’s hit singing competition series, the 24-year-old Harlem native, who was hospitalized with an unknown illness last summer, informed their more than 167,000 Instagram followers that they are currently struggling to make ends meet. 

Despite initially feeling ‘super embarrassed’ to announce that they was back to performing for New York City’s  public transit commuters, the singer, who uses ‘they’ pronouns, said letting people know that they ‘legit needed the money’ was no longer ‘optional.’

Still, it has been challenging for them to navigate their feelings that they have ‘fallen so low’ since finding fame on reality television. 

Last year, the singer unexpectedly left the label without releasing any albums under them.

‘I am making music. I just cannot afford to release music, because mixing and mastering music costs a lot of money. And I invested in myself and ended up broke. That’s the truth,’ they said on their Instagram Story last year. 

Trying to get by: Despite her victory on ABC’s hit singing competition series, the 24-year-old singer, from Harlem, informed her more than 167,000 Instagram followers that they are currently struggling to make ends meet; seen in 2020

The musician continued: ”It’s just hard because I’m coming out of pocket and I have bills to pay. And American Idol is not going to pay my bills. Lionel Richie’s not going to pay my bills. Katy Perry’s not going to pay my bills. Luke Bryan is not going to pay my bills. I have to pay my rent. I have to make sure that I’m eating every day, which is hard to do.’

Sam went on to assure fans that they had people ‘helping’ them and that they were going to put ‘out music when’ they can and is ‘ready.’ 

Their win during the remotely-filmed finale of season 18 of American Idol coincided with the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

On the episode, they gushed that her ‘dreams’ had ‘come true.’ 

Sam’s struggles are in stark comparison to past winners like Carrie Underwood, who has an estimated net worth of $140 million, or Kelly Clarkson, who has won three Grammy Awards and currently hosts her own self-titled talk show. 

While many contestants like Jordin Sparks and Jennifer Hudson have gone on to become household names after competing on American Idol, it has become glaringly obvious that winning does not guarantee success.