The finale of Season 1 of American Idol took place on September 3rd and 4th 2002. It featured Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini competing for the title of winner of American Idol.
Kelly Clarkson was declared the winner with 58% of the 15.5 million votes cast.
Contestants' Performances[]
The final two contestants performed three times.
| Justin Guarini | "Before Your Love" (Justin Guarini) | Runner-up |
| Kelly Clarkson | "A Moment Like This" (Kelly Clarkson) | Winner |
| Justin Guarini | "Get Here" (Brenda Russell) | Runner-up |
| Kelly Clarkson | "Respect" (Aretha Franklin) | Winner |
| Justin Guarini | "A Moment Like This" (Justin Guarini) | Runner-up |
| Kelly Clarkson | "Before Your Love" (Kelly Clarkson) | Winner |
Non-Voting Performances[]
| The Top 10 (Christina Christian, Kelly Clarkson, EJay Day, A.J. Gil, Tamyra Gray, Justin Guarini, R.J. Helton, Nikki McKibbin, Ryan Starr, Jim Verraros) | 1960s Medley |
| Justin Guarini | "A Moment Like This" |
| Kelly Clarkson | "Before Your Love" |
| The Top 10 and Will Young | Motown Medley |
| Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini | "It Takes Two" (Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston) |
Trivia[]
- This finale only received one special guest outside of the Top 10 contestants that performed during the finale was Will Young, the first winner of Pop Idol.