FOX announced today that the Idol Gives Back fundraising effort, which culminated Wednesday night with a two-hour television event, has raised almost $45 million to benefit various U.S. and international charities including the Children’s Health Fund, Feeding America, Malaria No More, Save the Children’s U.S. Programs and the United Nations Foundation.
Those numbers are below what was raised during the Season 6 and Season 7 IGB specials. According to MTV, the first IGB in Season 6 raised more than 70M while the Season 7 edition raised 60M.
Producers skipped last year, citing the poor economy as one of the reasons.