McPhee has struggled with eating disorders in the past. She told People magazine, where as a 13-year begyndte that she starve herself and udøve tvangsmæssigt, and she was bulimic for 17 years. After seven years of sickness, she finally indgået a three-month rehabilitation program after pass else might American Idol audition, her rehab stint closed all before the Idol semifinals started in February 2006.
McPhee stated, that she was fejldiagnosticeret with indlæringsvanskeligheder in happened between school years, but was endeligt correct diagnosticeret with a vision problem, where fik able to garden problems that læse in class. McPhee claimed she was the visitors as "beautiful but dumb" girl in school, because she is sharing of sea problems with the read.
McPhee was persuaded af nu-mand Nick Cokas and hands Parents to try for TV series Contests American Idol. She auditioned in San Francisco and sang "God Bless the Child", which oprindeligt been performed af Billie Holiday. McPhee is short on American Idol led to Bruges af udtrykket "McPheever". Inddragelsen af producer of David Foster and singer Andrea Bocelli who gæst mentors for Top 6 uge appeared that a tilfældig introduktion for McPhee, as she has arbejdet with different music Projects with both mænd post-Idol.
McPhee guest star on the CBS show, CSI: NY in the episode "Prey" as a singer and stalker victim, where the murdered might Stalker. The episode was transmitters April 8, 2009. On 28 April 2011 tweeted McPhee, she all sharing of sea indspillet a voice over for an episode af Fox anime track series Family Guy, playing voice mother Maggie. No word on endnu, hvornår episode airs.