La seconda stagione di American Idol iniziò il 21 gennaio 2003 e finì il 21 maggio dello stesso anno. Fu la prima stagione presentata esclusivamente da Ryan Seacrest. Il vincitore fu Ruben Studdard e fu la prima stagione in cui vinse un uomo e la prima in cui gli ultimi due concorrenti erano entrambi uomini, seguita dalla settima stagione con David Archuleta e David Cook, e dall'ottava con Adam Lambert e Kris Allen.
Audizioni le audizioni si tennero a New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Detroit, Atlanta, Nashville e Austin nell'autunno del 2002.
Finali Top 12 - Motown Kimberley Locke - "(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave" (Martha and the Vandellas) Josh Gracin - "Baby I Need Your Loving" (Four Tops) Charles Grigsby - "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" (Marvin Gaye) Kimberly Caldwell - "Nowhere to Run" (Martha and the Vandellas) Rickey Smith - "1-2-3" (Len Barry) Julia DeMato - "Where Did Our Love Go" (The Supremes) Clay Aiken - "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" (Four Tops) Vanessa Olivarez - "You Keep Me Hangin' On" (The Supremes) Corey Clark - "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)" (The Isley Brothers) Carmen Rasmusen - "You Can't Hurry Love" (The Supremes) Trenyce - "Come See About Me" (The Supremes) Ruben Studdard - "Baby I Need Your Loving" (Four Tops) Ultimi 3: Vanessa Olivarez, Julia DeMato, Kimberley Locke Eliminata: Vanessa Olivarez
Top 11 - Colonne Sonore Corey Clark - "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (Phil Collins) (da Against All Odds) Ruben Studdard - "A Whole New World" (Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle) (da Aladdin) Trenyce - "I Have Nothing" (Whitney Houston) (da Guardia del Corpo) Clay Aiken - "Somewhere Out There" (Linda Ronstadt & James Ingram) (da Fievel sbarca in America) Kimberly Caldwell - "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)" (Cher) (da Sirene) Josh Gracin - "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing"(Aerosmith) (da Armageddon) Carmen Rasmusen - "Hopelessly Devoted to You"(Olivia Newton-John) (da Grease) Charles Grigsby - "You Can't Win"(Michael Jackson) (da The Wiz) Rickey Smith - "It Might Be You" (Stephen Bishop) (da Tootsie) Julia DeMato - "Flashdance... What a Feeling" (Irene Cara) (da Flashdance) Kimberley Locke - "Home" (Diana Ross) (da The Wiz) Ultimi 3: Julia DeMato, Charles Grigsby, Corey Clark Eliminato: Charles Grigsby
Top 10 - Country Rock Josh Gracin - "Ain't Goin' Down ('Til The Sun Comes Up)" (Garth Brooks) Trenyce - "I Need You" (LeAnn Rimes) Kimberley Locke - "I Can't Make You Love Me" (Bonnie Raitt) Corey Clark - "Drift Away" (Dobie Gray) Carmen Rasmusen - "Wild Angels" (Martina McBride) Rickey Smith - "I've Done Enough Dyin' Today" (Larry Gatlin) Kimberly Caldwell - "Anymore" (Travis Tritt) Ruben Studdard - "Sweet Home Alabama" (Lynyrd Skynyrd) Julia DeMato - "Breathe" (Faith Hill) Clay Aiken - "Someone Else's Star" (Bryan White) Ultimi 3: Kimberly Caldwell, Julia DeMato, Rickey Smith Eliminata: Julia DeMato
Top 08 (1ª Settimana) - Disco music
Squalificato: Corey Clark Rickey Smith - "Let's Groove" (Earth, Wind & Fire) Carmen Rasmusen - "Turn the Beat Around" (Vicki Sue Robinson) Kimberly Caldwell - "Knock on Wood" (Amii Stewart) Clay Aiken - "Everlasting Love" (Carl Carlton) Trenyce - "I'm Every Woman" (Chaka Khan) Ruben Studdard - "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe" (Barry White) Kimberley Locke - "It's Raining Men" (The Weather Girls) Josh Gracin - "Celebration" (Kool & the Gang) Ultimi 3: Kimberley Locke, Trenyce, Carmen Rasmusen Eliminati: nessuno a causa della squalifica di Corey Clark
Top 08 (2ª Settimana) - Successi Billboard Clay Aiken - "At This Moment" (Billy Vera & The Beaters), 1987 Kimberley Locke - "My Heart Will Go On" (Céline Dion), 1998 Rickey Smith - "Endless Love" (Diana Ross & Lionel Richie), 1981 Kimberly Caldwell - "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" (Bryan Adams), 1991 Josh Gracin - "Amazed" (Lonestar), 2000 Carmen Rasmusen - "Call Me" (Blondie), 1980 Trenyce - "The Power of Love" (Céline Dion), 1994 Ruben Studdard - "Kiss and Say Goodbye" (The Manhattans), 1976 Ultimi 3: Kimberley Locke, Kimberly Caldwell, Rickey Smith Eliminato: Rickey Smith
Top 07 - Billy Joel Kimberly Caldwell - "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" Ruben Studdard - "Just the Way You Are" Kimberley Locke - "New York State of Mind" Carmen Rasmusen - "And So It Goes" Josh Gracin - "Piano Man" Trenyce - "Baby Grand" Clay Aiken - "Tell Her About It" Ultimi 3: Kimberly Caldwell, Carmen Rasmusen, Trenyce Eliminata: Kimberly CaldwellTop 06 - Canzoni Scritte da Diane Warren Kimberley Locke - "If You Asked Me To" (Céline Dion) Clay Aiken - "I Could Not Ask for More" (Edwin McCain) Trenyce - "Have You Ever?" (Brandy) Josh Gracin - "That's When I'll Stop Loving You" ('N Sync) Carmen Rasmusen - "Love Will Lead You Back" (Taylor Dayne) Ruben Studdard - "Music of My Heart" ('N Sync & Gloria Estefan)Ultimi 3: Carmen Rasmusen, Trenyce, Josh GracinEliminata: Carmen Rasmusen
Top 05 - Anni 60, Canzoni Scritte da Neil Sedaka Ruben Studdard - "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" (The Temptations) Trenyce - "Proud Mary" (Creedence Clearwater Revival) Josh Gracin - "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" (The Casinos) Kimberley Locke - "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (Marvin Gaye) Clay Aiken - "Build Me Up Buttercup" (The Foundations) Ruben Studdard - "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" (Neil Sedaka) Trenyce - "Love Will Keep Us Together" (Captain & Tennille) Josh Gracin - "Bad Blood" (Neil Sedaka) Kimberley Locke - Where the Boys Are (Connie Francis) Clay Aiken - "Solitaire" (Neil Sedaka) Ultimi 2: Trenyce, Ruben Studdard Eliminata: Trenyce
Top 04 - Bee Gees Josh Gracin - "Jive Talkin'" Clay Aiken - "To Love Somebody" Kimberley Locke - "I Just Want to Be Your Everything" Ruben Studdard - "Nights on Broadway" Josh Gracin - "To Love Somebody" Clay Aiken - "Grease" Kimberley Locke - "Emotion" Ruben Studdard - "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" Ultimi 2: Kimberley Locke, Josh Gracin Eliminato: Josh Gracin
Top 03 - Scelta a Caso, Scelta dei Giudici, Scelta dei Concorrenti Kimberley Locke - "Band of Gold" (Freda Payne) Ruben Studdard - "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" (Stevie Wonder) Clay Aiken - "Vincent" (Don McLean) Kimberley Locke - "Anyone Who Had a Heart" (Dionne Warwick) (Scelta di Randy Jackson) Ruben Studdard - "Smile" (Charlie Chaplin) (Scelta di Simon Cowell) Clay Aiken - "Mack the Knife" (Bobby Darin) (Scelta di Paula Abdul) Kimberley Locke - "Inseparable" (Natalie Cole) Ruben Studdard - "If Ever You're in My Arms Again" (Peabo Bryson) Clay Aiken - "Unchained Melody" (The Righteous Brothers) Eliminata: Kimberley Locke
Top 02 - Scelta dei Concorrenti, Singoli Ruben Studdard - "A House Is Not a Home" (Luther Vandross) Clay Aiken - "This Is the Night" Ruben Studdard - "Imagine" (John Lennon) Clay Aiken - "Here, There and Everywhere" (The Beatles) Ruben Studdard - "Flying Without Wings" (Westlife) Clay Aiken - "Bridge over Troubled Water" (Simon & Garfunkel) Vincitore: Ruben Studdard Secondo: Clay Aiken
Tabella Eliminazioni Settimana: 12/03 19/03 26/03 02/04* 09/04 16/04 23/04 30/04 07/05 14/05 21/05 Posizione Concorrente Risultato 1 Ruben Studdard Vincitore 2 Clay Aiken
3 Kimberley Locke
Elim 4 Josh Gracin
Elim 5 Trenyce
Elim 6 Carmen Rasmusen
Elim 7 Kimberly Caldwell
Elim 8 Rickey Smith
Elim 9 Corey Clark
SQ 10 Julia DeMato Elim 11 Charles Grigsby
Elim 12 Vanessa Olivarez Elim
Categoria:American Idol