Most viewers may remember Season 5 of American Idol for its Top 2 finalists, winner Taylor Hicks and runner-up Katharine McPhee. But there were plenty of other memorable contestants that year, including Bucky Covington, who finished the show in eighth place.
Now, two decades later, Covington is returning to the American Idol stage to celebrates the 20th anniversary of Season 5. He’ll be joined by fellow contestants Hicks, Kellie Pickler, Paris Bennett, and Elliott Yamin on the show’s May 4 episode.
Over the past year, Covington has become a bit more active on social media as he teases new music and upcoming shows. Scroll down for an update on what he’s up to today, 20 years after his time on the singing competition.
What is Bucky Covington doing now?
Covington is still continuing to pursue a career in music. While he does not have a full tour on the books, he does have some shows coming up that he promotes on Instagram. He also released new songs including “Slow” and “Wheels” in 2024.
Following his time on Idol, Covington was signed to Lyric Street Records and released his debut single “A Different World” in January 2007. Later that year, his album, Bucky Covington, came out.
He began recording his second album in 2009, but Lyric Street Records shut down before its April 2010 release. He was eventually picked up by E1 Music’s Nashville label and released his second album, Good Guys, in September 2012. His most recent full release was the EP Happy Man in 2015.
Ahead of his May 2026 appearance on American Idol, Covington wrote on Instagram, “I’m heading back to the American Idol stage on May 4th! Honored to be joining the Top 5 finalists for a special duet—full circle moment for me and I can’t wait to share it with y’all.”
Is Bucky Covington married?
Yes, Covington married his wife, Hannah Borders, in October 2020. She commemorated their one-year anniversary with an Instagram post, writing, “Happy (late) one year anniversary to my wonderful husband! I am so blessed to have such an amazing man by my side!! Thank you for making life so much more beautiful!!”
In February 2025, Covington paid tribute to Borders in a Valentine’s Day post. “Happy Valentine’s Day to my Beautiful Wife Hannah!!!” he gushed, along with a romantic photo of them.
The two seemingly met in March 2017, as Borders acknowledged that it had been “four years” since this “amazing man walked into [her] life” in a March 2021 Instagram post.
Covington was previously married to Crystal Callahan. The two tied the knot in 1999 and had already been married for several years when he was on Idol. They separated in 2007.
He then got engaged to Katherine Cook, a publicist in Nashville, in 2010, but they eventually split. The two met in 2007. It’s unclear when they broke up.
Does Bucky Covington have kids?
Covington and Cook share a daughter, Kennedy Covington, who was born in October 2014. He included photos of Kennedy in a February 2026 Valentine’s Day post.
“Happy Valentine’s Day to my girls!” Covington captioned the image, which featured two selfies of himself, Kennedy, and Borders.