He gained national attention on the series, controversially advancing to 7th place with public votes despite being poorly received by the show's judges, particularly Simon Cowell.

[1][2][3] After Idol, Malakar made many television guest appearances and has been commonly parodied in popular culture.

After his sophomore year, Malakar passed the General Educational Development test, in order to leave high school early and focus on a music career and on his participation in American Idol.

[12] On March 27, 2007, Malakar sang No Doubt's "Bathwater" wearing a fauxhawk made from multiple ponytails.

[19][20][21][22][23][24] Singing his farewell performance, after the line "let's give them something to talk about", he ad libbed "other than hair" in place of "how about love".

[27] Malakar was the season's most talked about American Idol contestant, based on articles and searches conducted on the Internet.

In her YouTube video, an advertisement for a dating site was prominently displayed, causing speculation her hunger strike was really for profit.

However, members of the online community have contributed semi-fictional web sites, appearing to portray Malakar in a more satirical but supportive way.

[31][32] An official fansite for Malakar was created with approval of and contributions by the entertainer and his mother Jillian Blyth,[33] and archives include in-person reports for each 2007 American Idol Concert Tour event.

Chris Ayres of The Times speculated that it would have been a turning point leading toward decline and eventual cancellation for American Idol if Malakar had won.

[42][43][44] Some Stern regulars claimed to have voted for Malakar over 300 times—largely in hopes of tormenting American Idol traditionalists on the show.

[46][47] The fan reaction of Ashley Ferl was satirized on the March 24, 2007 broadcast of Saturday Night Live, during the Weekend Update segment.

Samberg portrayed Malakar again during the monologue of the April 21, 2007 episode, singing the song "Something To Talk About" as a duet with host Scarlett Johansson.

[48] The controversy spawned colloquialisms associated with Malakar's name, such as "Sanjayamania"[49] and "Fanjaya" to denote a Sanjaya fan.

Malakar was greeted by screaming fans at the event, [54] and was praised by the city's Mayor Michael Park and King County Council member Pete von Reichbauer for serving as a great role model, [55] with Park stating "Sanjaya's charismatic personality, contagious smile, positive attitude and enthusiastic pursuit of his dreams are qualities to be admired.

Shortly after his run on American Idol ended, Malakar attended the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner as a People magazine guest, where he saw then-President George W Bush.

Malakar was popular among the press and fans at the dinner, and was even prompted for an autograph by then-New York Governor Eliot Spitzer.

He was featured in Us Magazine's April 20, 2007, issue in an article entitled "Sanjaya Speaks",[63] where he was asked about his reactions to the parodies, Simon Cowell, Howard Stern and to his new celebrity status.

He was featured in the May 7, 2007, issue of People, where he talked about his American Idol run, his younger years, and future aspirations.

Malakar won Fox's 2007 Golden Realitini Award for Favorite Reality Game Loser aired.

[79] He also appeared with the rest of the top 10 on Larry King Live,[80] Access Hollywood, and Good Day L.A.[81] Upon meeting Billy Ray Cyrus, Malakar reported discussing a guest spot on Disney Channel's Hannah Montana in an April 20, 2007 interview with Access Hollywood.

Malakar also mentioned that he was continuing music and he helped write the book, Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul.

[85] In India, Malakar received his first acting role, where he starred in a Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company commercial, where he seeks help from a guru.

In May 2010, Seattle Weekly reported that Malakar was working as a singer for Pagliacci Pizza, a Seattle-based pizzeria chain.

[94] Malakar sings seven jazz standards on the album Good Merlin by The Chaz Lipp Groove Tripp.

Writing for The Morton Report, Bill Bentley (record producer) says Malakar's voice "goes directly for the core of these American songbook standards.

"[97] Blogcritics writer Rhetta Akamatsu rated the album 96/100 largely due to Malakar's "incredible, flexible voice.

"[98] Ronald Jackson of The Smooth Jazz Ride website says "Sanjaya Malakar is truly a singer with brilliant pipes... His passion is clear and bold on each track he engages.