Diana DeGarmo was born in Birmingham, Alabama, but was raised primarily in Snellville, Georgia. DeGarmo began singing at a young age, including the 1997 Georgia Music Hall of Fame Awards, and in Atlanta-based stage productions of Annie and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. At age ten she was part of the Cartoon Gang on The Cartoon Network, appearing in various bumper segments. As a third grader she was a Coca-Cola Kid during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.

DeGarmo was the first American Idol finalist to participate in a USO tour. She has been on four USO tours. She first went overseas in December 2005-January 2006. On that tour she entertained troops in Southwest Asia on a tour hosted by General Peter Pace. Her song "Thank You" is inspired by this trip. In April 2012, she and Ace Young went on a USO tour, accompanied by fellow performers and athletes Anthony Anderson, Weeman, Dennis Haysbert, Randy Johnson, and The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. In February 2013 she began her third USO tour, this time joining Ace Young, Peyton Manning, Austin Collie, Curt Schilling and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Her fourth tour took place in March 2015, joining Andrew Luck, Weeman, Miss America, and several other celebrities on a tour of the middle east and military installations in Korea, Japan, and Hawaii. In late 2007/early 2008, DeGarmo participated as a Southern celebrity in television ads for the Zaxby's restaurant chain. She also appeared as a guest voice on The Fairly OddParents Fairy Idol episode as Cosmo after Cosmo watches How to Sing Like Diana DeGarmo. On November 2008, DeGarmo appeared on the Howard Stern Show alongside Kurt Angle. DeGarmo is also a celebrity supporter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and was seen on the 2012 "Show of Strength" Labor Day weekend to raise money for children with neuromuscular disease. She also supports and performs in fundraisers for a number of charitable organizations both nationally and locally, including Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids.

What other activities did she have
DeGarmo participated as a Southern celebrity in television ads for the Zaxby's restaurant chain.