Clay Aiken is reflecting on the impact coming out had on his career.
In a new interview with People to discuss his newly released holiday album Christmas Bells Are Ringing, the American Idol alum claimed he lost “50 percent” of his fanbase after publicly sharing that he was gay in a 2008 cover story for the outlet. Aiken, now 46, opened up about how times have changed in the 16 years since.
“Back then it was a big deal,” he said. “We are in a very different time. I lost maybe 50 percent of the fan base.”
At the time, Aiken was starring in Spamalot on Broadway, and the revelation had an immediate impact on ticket sales.
“The first four months that I was in [Spamalot], the show was selling out, standing room only,” he explained. “You can actually look at the ticket sales the week after that cover came out. It went from selling very well to the week after the cover came out, the ticket sales dropped. Spamalot ended up closing a few months after that.”
Aiken came out shortly after the birth of his son, an event that shaped his decision.
“It was the first decision I made as a father,” he said. “I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things. I wasn’t raised that way, and I’m not going to raise a child to do that.”
Despite the impact on his career, Aiken has no regrets.
“A lot of people who come out now end up having boosts in popularity because of it... That’s mind-blowing to me because it’s the opposite of what happened when I came out,” he said. “But it means that there’s progress and it means that as a country, we’re headed in the right direction.”
Aiken’s son, Parker, was born on August 8, 2008, through in vitro fertilization with his friend Jaymes Foster. Aiken compared fatherhood to “wearing your heart on the outside of your body.”
“I’d say the most wonderful part has been watching him grow into a young man. He is an incredibly respectful and smart and responsible young man, and that is something that I’m incredibly proud of,” he told People. “But it’s heartbreaking because they grow into little, mini adults and they change.”
Aiken has also been successful in keeping his son out of the public eye for most of his childhood, though Parker made a television appearance on Celebrity Family Feud in August 2024.
