Clay Aiken recently returned to the show that helped launch his career, American Idol. Since then, he has also talked about his time on the show. During this moment, he touched on being in the middle of some harsh moments, as well as a surprising side of one of the judges.
Clay Aiken Was A Runner-Up On American Idol, But Still Proved To Have Success As A Singer
Aiken became known to many after competing on the second season of American Idol. He ultimately finished as the season’s runner-up. However, he still went on to have a prominent career in music.
Aiken’s debut album, Measure of a Man, ultimately ended up going multi-platinum. In 2008, he made his Broadway debut, appearing as Sir Robin in Monty Python’s Spamalot. He has since gone on to appear in other theatre shows and tours.
However, fans recently saw Aiken return to the show where he got his start. During the recent Season 24 finale, he returned to perform his song, “Rewind.”
Around the time of his return, the singer spoke with TV Insider and talked about how much things have changed since his time on the show. The outlet noted that the current judges were often kinder than Simon Cowell. Aiken wondered if this was in reference to a moment from his time on the show. As he recounted, “He called me ugly. Is that what you’re saying?”
The interviewer initially expressed disbelief at Aiken’s share. However, he continued, “Absolutely! He said I was ugly. Go look it up. It’s in there. You can watch the footage. I remember. [WRYLY] Are you saying he was right then?” As fans may remember, Cowell said Aiken was “ugly” early on following his performance of “This is the Night,” but said he became “handsome” during his time on the show.
Despite The Comments, Aiken Also Admitted To See Another Side To Simon Cowell
Aiken then mused that the mindset at the time was that image was just as important as talent. As he noted, “Simon came from a world where it was all about the image, not necessarily looks. It was all about the image.”
“In my audition, he said that I didn’t look like a pop star, but that I had a great voice. I think there was an interesting quandary about whether or not America was going to vote for the best singers or are they going to vote for the people who look like pop stars.”
That said, Aiken admitted that even he forgot about the moment, as well as noting that he also remembered a softer side to Simon. As he recounted, “I watched some old clips last year. That’s how I remembered he called me ugly. I listened to some of the things he’d said, and I thought, “Holy s**t!” Did I block it out psychologically? I don’t remember if he had said some mean things. But [the contestants] had a good relationship with him.” He also recounted Cowell giving contestants a hug after they got cut from the series.
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John Witiw has been a writer since at least 2015. He’s covered a variety of topics, especially when it comes to film and television.
