Barrino released her New York Times Best-Selling autobiography Life Is Not a Fairy Tale (2005), which was adapted into the 2006 television film, which she starred in.

[8][9] She portrayed Celie Johnson in the Broadway musical The Color Purple from 2007 to 2008, which earned her a Theatre World Award for Best Debut Performance.

[15] Barrino's show was a staging of the Porgy and Bess standard "Summertime" that left her in tears from "feeling the song" and earned praise from the judges and was named amongst the AOL's 2004 list of greatest television moments.

Barrino participated in the U.S. tour with the other American Idol finalists, and appeared in the 2004 Christmas special, Kelly, Ruben and Fantasia: Home for the Holidays as well.

Barrino was named the number-one artist of the Adult Urban Contemporary format for 2005 according to the December 13, 2005, issue of Billboard magazine.

Barrino had many musical collaborations during the fall of 2006 including a remake of The Clark Sisters' "Endow Me" which featured Faith Evans, Lil' Mo, and Coko of SWV; a remake of Stevie Wonder's 1976 song "I Wish" with Patti LaBelle and Yolanda Adams for the soundtrack to the 2006 animated film Happy Feet;[29] and most notably her duet with Aretha Franklin "Put You Up on Game", which was recorded at that time and later released in 2007.

The album involved production by Missy Elliott, Swizz Beatz, Babyface, Diane Warren, and others, and has since spawned the singles "Hood Boy" produced by Tone Mason, "When I See U", and "Only One U" and went on to be certified gold.

[34] After appearing on American Idol and The Oprah Winfrey Show, the musical received a boost of over two million in pre-ticket sales in one week.

[citation needed] Barrino performed at the 2007 Tony Awards in a tribute to Atlanta's Alliance Theater in which The Color Purple got its start.

[citation needed] The Color Purple box office saw a thirty-four-million-dollar jump in sales since Barrino started in the show, a third of the play's 100 million dollar earning since its debut in 2005.

She stated on the red carpet of the 2008 Grammy Awards that the style of the new album would be a blending of the avenues she has touched musically, which include American Idol and Broadway.

She also revealed that she would be writing some of the album's songs and would collaborate again with Missy Elliott, The Underdogs, and Midi Mafia, who produced one of her biggest hits, "When I See U".

Barrino also appeared on Jennifer Hudson's self-titled album, on the song "I'm His Only Woman", which was nominated for a 2009 Grammy Award, though it did not win.

Barrino reprised the role of Celie in the national tour of The Color Purple during its Washington D.C., Chicago, Atlanta, and Los Angeles stops.

[45] Barrino cited Tina Turner, Queen and Aretha Franklin as influences, and like musicians she admired from their era, she recorded with a live band.

Production was originally planned to begin in October 2011 in New Orleans and Chicago with a release date of late 2012 and a premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

[51] In August 2011, organizers of the International Hair Show in Atlanta, Georgia, said medical conditions requiring bed rest had forced Barrino to cancel her scheduled performance there.

Barrino starred in the musical revue After Midnight which opened on Broadway on November 3, 2013, with previews beginning on October 18 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.

New York Post wrote "... although I admired Ms. Barrino's heartfelt performance in 'The Color Purple,' I was surprised at how smoothly and intuitively she slid into the vocal persona of a jazz singer.

[73] After parting ways with longtime label home RCA Records, Barrino released Christmas After Midnight on October 6, 2017, via Concord.

[79] On March 9, 2019, Barrino revealed via her official Instagram account that her sixth studio album, Sketchbook, is complete and will feature 14 tracks.

[89] Katie Walsh of Los Angeles Times praised Barrino for her "stunning performance as Celie, holding the emotional center over decades.

[91] Fantasia along with the cast received the Ensemble Award from the Critics' Choice Association's Celebration of Cinema & Television: Honoring Black, Latino and AAPI Achievements.

[96][97] The home was due to be auctioned in January 2009 by the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office after the company Broward Energy Partners, which had paid over $68,000 of her taxes in 2006, said it had not been fully repaid.

[100] An August 2010 divorce filing in Mecklenburg County District Court alleges that Barrino had a year-long relationship with Antwaun Cook, who was married, bringing up the subject of alienation of affection laws in North Carolina.

[102] In December 2010, a North Carolina judge ruled in Barrino's favor, stating the Cooks' separation date was September 14, 2009, and not June 2010 as Paula previously claimed.

[115] Barrino took a break from her musical and acting career in order to return to school and enrolled at Central State University to study business.

Gerrick D. Kennedy from the Los Angeles Times praised the album as "sumptuous contemporary R&B dipped in vintage rock and soul".

[2] Barrino further showcased her versatility and expanded her range while starring in Broadway musicals The Color Purple and After Midnight, as well as her mini-tour with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.

Barrino's American Idol performance of the Porgy and Bess standard "Summertime" was named amongst the AOL's 2004 list of greatest television moments.