After his brief stint on American Idol season 9 in 2010, 36-year-old Todrick Hall has had much success on Broadway, reality television, YouTube, and with his own music and concert tours. Before he auditioned for the show, Todrick had already appeared on Broadway in The Color Purple, alongside American Idol season 3 winner Fantasia Barrino. She inspired him to audition for the show. He was also a YouTube star at that time, creating many videos that showed off his talents.
During his audition for American Idol, Todrick sang a memorable original song which included lyrics about each of the show's judges at the time. Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi, and guest judge Joe Jonas sent him to Hollywood, and Todrick made it to the Top 24 of the show. He sang songs such as Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone" and Tina Turner's "What's Love Got to Do with It," but was eliminated from the Top 16 after his performance of Queen's "Somebody to Love." At the time, Simon Cowell dismissed him and told him he would not amount to anything beyond a Broadway actor.
Todrick has expressed regret that he was not open about his sexuality at the time, and vowed that he would embrace his true self in the future, even if it meant that he would have less commercial success. He has since fully accepted himself as a gay Black man. Todrick's success after American Idol proves that the public has welcomed him as a talented performer who lights up the stage with his impressive singing and choreography.
Broadway
In 2010, Todrick returned to the Broadway stage in the musical Memphis. In 2016, Todrick was offered the lead role of Lola in Kinky Boots. He performed in 155 shows and received great reviews from critics. Todrick also played the starring role of Billy Flynn in Chicago from November 2017 to January 2018, during which the show had its highest-grossing week at the time. In June 2019, Todrick starred as Ogie in Waitress.
YouTube
Todrick currently has a whopping 3.62 millions YouTube subscribers with 663 videos for his fans, whom he calls the "Toddlerz," to watch. One of Todrick's most popular YouTube web series was the 8-episode show Pop Star High, which imagined that the most famous current pop stars, including Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and others, went to high school together.
Reality Television
Todrick starred in the MTV docuseries Todrick in 2015. The 8-episode series followed Todrick's life. In 2016, Todrick made an appearance as a guest judge on RuPaul's Drag Race season 8 and returned to the show later that year as a full-time judge for RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars 3 and in 2017 for season 9. He judged the British dance competition, The Greatest Dancer, in 2019.
Related: Celebrity Big Brother: Lamar Says Todrick Took ‘Wrong Approach To Winning’
In December 2021, Todrick wowed audiences on The Masked Singer season 6 as Bull. His singing and choreography in his large costume was very impressive and earned him a place as the runner-up to Jewel's Queen of Hearts. In February 2022, Todrick was the runner-up on Celebrity Big Brother 3, placing second to his final 2 partner, MMA fighter, Miesha Tate.
Music Videos
In 2011, Todrick choreographed a flash mob dance in a Target store to Beyoncé's song, "End of Time." This led to Beyoncé hiring him as choreographer for her 2013 video "Blow," which had a roller-disco theme. In 2019, he was a co-executive producer for the music video for Taylor Swift's song, "You Need to Calm Down." He appeared in the video and helped to recruit other celebrities who made cameos.
Albums & Concert Tours
Todrick released a Christmas album in 2013 entitled Dear Santa. In June 2016, Todrick self-released Straight Outta Oz, a visual concept album that uses the imagery of the film, The Wizard of Oz, to illustrate moments from his life. Todrick is a passionate, lifelong fan of the movie. He supported the album with the Straight Outta Oz Tour and also released the documentary film Behind the Curtain about it. In May 2018, he released another visual album called Forbidden which also had an accompanying tour. He released a trilogy of extended plays from 2019-2021, called Haus Party, Pt.1, Part Two, and Part Three. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Todrick recorded an EP with the title Quarantine Queen. His fourth studio album, Femuline, was released in 2021. According to Todrick's Instagram account, he will embark on the Femuline Tour 2022 from March through May 2022.
American Idol was only the beginning of Todrick's career. His talents and artistry have impressed audiences ever since he first appeared on their television screens over a decade ago. Fans can expect exciting and empowering performances from Todrick for years to come.
Source: Todrick Hall/Instagram