Why Hollywood Won't Cast Kellie Pickler Anymore

Kellie Pickler holds a distinction as a vocalist who hit the big time despite being eliminated from and not winning "American Idol," joining a legion that includes EGOT recipient Jennifer Hudson and touring Queen singer Adam Lambert. Despite placing fifth, Pickler said she had no problem figuring out her musical direction. "That can be the hardest thing," she expressed to The Augusta Chronicle. "But for me, it was easy. Country music was always what I wanted to do."

While she may have lost out on her "American Idol" Hollywood dream, Pickler continued in music and caught the acting bug, transitioning into the moviemaking side of Hollywood. In terms of her chances of becoming a star, Pickler had a lot going for her, including her rags-to-riches story of a southern girl growing up with a father who was frequently incarcerated, which many fans connected to. The fact that someone with Pickler's background could reach star status gave wind to the classic story of the American Dream.

But, sadly, what followed was a series of bombs and a lengthy absence from film. Yet Pickler still has a devout fan base cheering her on to her next venture, whatever that may be. That said, the optics aren't exactly signaling a major comeback for the singer, at least not for now, given the downturns in her career and personal life.

The country fell in love with the cheery attitude of 19-year-old Kellie Pickler from the moment she first appeared on "American Idol" in 2006. But throughout the competition, her charm subsided to a ditzier demeanor. On one occasion, judge Simon Cowell called her a "minx," a word seemingly absent from her vocabulary. Another episode with Rod Stewart saw her puzzled when he had to explain that "words" was synonymous with "lyrics." It was too much for one irate HuffPost critic who declared, "Kellie wasn't just too weak a singer to be the next Idol — she was too weak-minded as well."

In a 2007 episode of the game show, "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader," Pickler was tasked with answering what European country has Budapest as its capital. "This might be a stupid question," she drawled. "I thought Europe was a country." That episode prompted a celebitchy contributor to remark, "Women like Jessica Simpson, Anna Nicole Smith, and Kellie Pickler are sending us back to the dark ages — the 1980s — when blond jokes ran amuck."

The dumb blonde routine might have seen her fall out of favor with more progressive-minded folks, especially women, which could have brought her a much larger audience. Still, other critics weren't buying it. "She's still doing the whole, like, 'Hee Haw' dumb country girl thing," lamented one female TMZ staffer. Either way, the reactions hinted at why any entertainment conglomerate wouldn't necessarily take her seriously.

Mere weeks after Kellie Pickler lost on "American Idol," an affiliate of Sony BMG Nashville, BNA Records, signed the country artist. The deal produced Pickler's first two albums (one of them certified gold) and a handful of hit country-pop singles. But that relationship started to sour by 2011, when Pickler wanted her third album to be more traditional, closer to classics released by the likes of Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette. Sony, more accustomed to churning out the more commercial twang pop, resisted.

The clash turned the whole operation surrounding her third release, "100 Proof," into a hostile experience for all involved. "Recording this album, to be honest — and I don't mind saying this — the process was hell," Pickler recalled to Entertainment Weekly. "We couldn't agree on songs. The thing is, my life is a country song. I don't need to be manufactured, and I don't need anyone to tell me what to say or what to sing."

On the other hand, Sony didn't need to keep an insubordinate Pickler on its roster, who also complained about the record's lack of promotion and a dearth of singles in any rotation on radio. After "100 Proof" dropped, Sony cut Pickler loose. Ironically, critics who frequently lambasted previous Pickler outings, heaped praise on the ill-fated album, most notably with Rolling Stone calling it one of the best country releases of 2012.

When Kellie Pickler first hit the charts, she was still bathed in the spotlight of "American Idol," garnering a fan base that swooned over her southern charm. It was no doubt one ingredient in 2006 that helped vault her "Small Town Girl" debut album into gold territory, buoyed by the success of her breakthrough single, "Red High Heels."

Her second, self-titled follow-up two years later didn't fare as well, but still enjoyed respectable sales, largely thanks to her first top 10 single on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, "Best Days of Your Life," a co-write with Taylor Swift. But disastrous sales surrounding her third record, "100 Proof," resulted in Sony dropping Pickler. While she managed to ink a deal with the more independent Black River Entertainment record company in 2012, her fourth outing, "The Woman I Am," also fared poorly, with the singer leaving that label in 2016.

Not having a hit in years doesn't exactly open doors for new opportunities in Nashville or even Hollywood. But when reminiscing about the fast pace of her ascent to stardom, Pickler probably realized how short the shelf life of her TV popularity might have been. "It was just like, 'We gotta go, we gotta go. We have a deadline,'" she said to The Boot, recalling the madness in putting her debut, "Small Town Girl," together. "'We have to strike while the iron's hot, because in a couple months, it was out with the old and there was a whole new top 24.'"

Kellie Pickler hasn't been immortalized on just records, she's also made it to film a few times. "I do love the acting," the singer told ABC13 Houston. "I do have a bit of the acting bug. It is fun. It's again another way to tell a story."

Those stories come courtesy of the brain trust at Hallmark, a network that churns out rom-com fare with assembly-line regularity. Starting in 2018, Hallmark had Pickler starring in three of its rom-com outings: 2018's "Christmas at Graceland," 2019's "Wedding at Graceland," and 2019's "The Mistletoe Secret." In each of them, she fit the Hallmark mold perfectly, playing a young blonde woman with big dreams looking for love in idyllic places.

Admittedly, she hasn't done any movies since 2019, most likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic's halt on productions and a subsequent family tragedy. Pickler has a better chance landing another gig from Hallmark than from elsewhere in Hollywood, since the network is far more famous for reviving the careers of luminaries like Hallmark mainstay Lacey Chabert. Apparently, that would suit Pickler just fine. "If Hallmark sends another script and it's the right one for me, I'd love to be in another movie," she said to Good Housekeeping in 2019. "Hallmark movies are a breath of fresh air from whatever you're going through in your life ... It's home for a lot of people, and it feels like home to me."

Before her stint on Hallmark, Kellie Pickler made prime time cameos on shows like "90210" and "Nashville," and even voiced a potato in the animated flick "VeggieTales: Beauty and the Beet." That 2014 gig caught the star by surprise. "You don't expect your management to call and say, 'We have an opportunity for you to be a sweet potato,'" she remarked to People.

For the most part, mainstream critics were more preoccupied with her music, not paying much attention to the caliber of her screen work even after she nabbed major parts in Hallmark rom-coms. Alternative media and social media commentators were lukewarm towards her at best. Reddit hosted the harshest of the lot, with respondents in the Hallmark thread almost unanimous in their condemnation of Pickler's acting skills. "I saw one movie with her in it and vowed to never watch another," noted one Pickler dissenter.

Elsewhere, some reviews were supportive, despite Pickler's shortcomings as a thespian. "No, she's not technically a GOOD actress," wrote an On Milwaukee critic. "But she's got energy, enthusiasm, big animated reactions and a drawling sweetness that I enjoyed watching and made me root for her character." Although kind, Geeks was alarmingly prophetic in reviewing "The Mistletoe Secret," the singer's third movie: "Pickler's performance isn't terrible, but she's hardly a contender for Hallmark's next recurring actress."

One obstacle to Kellie Pickler's movie aspirations might be that singers in the twang circuit generally don't land major roles in Hollywood. Granted, Dolly Parton's acting career scored box office gold in flicks like "9 to 5" and "The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas," but she's more the exception than the rule. Almost as prominent is Emmy-nominated Reba McEntire, whose film roles include "Tremors" and "The Hammer," although she's better known for her TV sitcom, "Reba." Male country acts have fared slightly better, most notably Kris Kristofferson, who has over 100 acting credits, followed by the likes of Dwight Yoakam, Willie Nelson, Tim McGraw, and the late Glen Campbell.

While Hollywood has moved towards embracing diversity, female acts remain largely underrepresented in the country music scene; Women on the country charts continue to occupy less spots as compared to male acts. Country star Shania Twain blames that omission on sexism continuing to plague the genre. "It's just not an even playing ground right now for some reason," Twain expressed to CNBC in 2023. "I don't understand it."

So far, Pickler has sidestepped that issue by starring in more niche-oriented Hallmark rom-com fare, although she hasn't been in one since 2019. "I love being able to tap out of my world into somebody else's world," she said about acting's allure on "Larry King Now" in 2020. "I hope that this just continues to open doors for other roles."

Like most entertainers, Kellie Pickler isolated herself during COVID-19, at one point quashing any rumours that she and her husband since 2011, Kyle Jacobs, were having a quarantine baby. "I love being Aunt Kellie and that is perfect for me," she told Us Weekly in 2020.

One day, in February 2023, Pickler called 911 when she couldn't find her husband, tragically leading to Jacobs being found dead in his office in the couple's Nashville home. A grief-stricken Pickler immediately went into seclusion, leaving her hosting gig at Sirius XM's "The Highway," a job she landed in 2020. In May, an autopsy revealed the 49-year-old songwriter and producer had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Forensics didn't discover any drugs in his system, although the report, published by People, indicated a history of "chronic alcohol use."

It wasn't until August 2023 that year that Pickler spoke publicly about her husband's death, showing gratitude to all those who lent their support. "Thank you to my family, friends, and supporters, for the countless letters, calls, and messages that you have sent my way," Pickler wrote in a statement to People. "It has truly touched my soul and it's helping me get through the darkest time in my life. As many of you have told me, you are all in my prayers." Pickler would stay under the radar for more than a year after the tragedy, until her performance in a Patsy Cline tribute concert in April 2024.

Understandably, it took a while for Kellie Pickler to get back out there after the death of her husband, who collaborated with her on projects that included their short-lived reality series, "I Love Kellie Pickler." But once she emerged back into the spotlight in April 2024 to take part in a Patsy Cline tribute show at Nashville's venerable Ryman Auditorium, she took the time to honor her husband with "The Woman In Me," a song she had written with him.

In May 2024, Pickler opted to sell the couple's Tudor-style mansion for $2.3 million. That same month, however, Pickler also had to contend with another unpleasant aspect of her husband's tragic death. That's when her in-laws, Reed and Sharon Jacobs filed to reopen an investigation of the circumstances surrounding their son's death.

The Jacobs family issued a subpoena to Pickler, asking for her to testify on and bring to court a number of assets, including Kyle's gun collection,  expensive watches, vintage guitars, and some of their son's memorabilia, including baseball cards and family photos. "They'll look at everything, and if there are signs of foul play they can file a lawsuit or even try to prosecute Kellie," said private investigator Paul Huebl to In Touch Weekly about the family's motives. "If a further examination of the remains is necessary, then they can get an exhumation."