What to know about Clay Aiken, the ‘Idol’ contestant turned political candidate
Clay Aiken has made a name for himself in recent years in politics, running unsuccessfully for a seat to represent North Carolina in Congress in 2022.
The bid was Aiken’s second attempt at earning political office, as he previously ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2014, winning the Democratic primary before losing in the general election.
But North Carolinians probably recognize Aiken’s name for different reasons.
A Raleigh native, Aiken attended Leesville Road High School before attending the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Aiken graduated from UNC-Charlotte in December 2003 — though his studies were interrupted by his time on the second season of “American Idol,” where he sang his way to 2nd place and launched into a singing career that saw his debut album go multi-platinum.
After “Idol,” Aiken went on to become a bestselling author, Broadway performer and an activist for several causes, including for children with disabilities through his work with the National Inclusion Project, which he co-founded.
He’s also made other TV appearances since “Idol,” including on “The Celebrity Apprentice” in 2012. On April 2, 2023, he returned to “Idol” to offer advice to contestants during Hollywood Week.
He’ll return to singing this year on a tour with Ruben Studdard, who won the season of “Idol” that Aiken competed on.
What else should you know about Aiken? Here’s some more information about him.
Clay Aiken on ‘American Idol’
Aiken first became a recognizable name when he appeared on the second season of the singing competition show “American Idol” in 2003.
Aiken, then a student at UNC-Charlotte studying special education, auditioned by singing Heatwave’s “Always and Forever” to Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell, who noted that Aiken didn’t “look like a pop star” but had “a great voice.”
Aiken sang his way through the show each week, ultimately landing in the finale, where he placed 2nd, behind winner Ruben Studdard.
The finale was met with controversy, as “Idol” host Ryan Seacrest announced during the finale episode three different numbers for the total number of votes separating Studdard and Aiken, before FOX confirmed the number — 130,000 votes — later.
Aiken’s 2nd place finish didn’t keep him from gaining success. His debut album, “Measure of a Man” went multi-platinum. He’s released six albums and gone on numerous tours since then, but told The News & Observer in 2020 that he had “no strong desire to go back to recording” music.
Aiken and Studdard have remained friends since their time on “Idol,” and even teamed up in 2018 to perform on Broadway in “Ruben & Clay’s First Annual Family Fun Pageant Spectacular Reunion Christmas Show.”
Aiken after ‘Idol’: Bestselling author and Broadway
After “Idol,” in November 2004, Aiken co-wrote and released his memoir, “Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life,” which debuted at No. 2 on the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list.
In the book, Aiken shares “what it takes for him to stay true to himself and remember the lessons he learned growing up in Raleigh, North Carolina.”
For about four months in early 2008, Aiken played Sir Robin in “Monty Python’s Spamalot” on Broadway. He reprised the role later that year, beginning in September and lasting until January 2009.
Also in September 2008, Aiken came out as gay in an interview with People magazine.
Aiken on ‘Celebrity Apprentice’
In 2012, Aiken appeared on the fifth season of “The Celebrity Apprentice,” the reality competition TV show hosted by then-real estate mogul and later president of the United States Donald Trump.
The show, which was canceled in 2017, involved contestants competing in business skills, tasks and challenges and, in the original format, vying for a job. In the celebrity version of the show, contestants instead competed for money to donate to a charity of their choice.
The show became well-known for boardroom scenes in which Trump “fired” contestants who did not perform well that week and were eliminated.
During his time on the show, Aiken competed to raise money for the National Inclusion Project, the organization he co-founded in 2003 to promote the inclusion of disabled children in the activities of their non-disabled peers.
Aiken finished the show in 2nd place, behind winner Arsenio Hall.
Later, in 2017, Aiken told The N&O that Trump didn’t actually decide which contestants to fire — instead, producers used a teleprompter disguised as a phone on his desk to feed him the decision from behind the scenes.
In that same 2017 interview, Aiken told The N&O that he believed Trump was running the country in a similar way.
Aiken’s first run for Congress and documentary
Aiken’s bid for North Carolina’s 6th congressional district won’t be his first time seeking congressional office.
In 2014, he ran for the state’s 2nd district, which covered several mostly rural counties south and west of the Triangle.
Aiken, a Democrat, faced two challengers in the party’s primary — most notably, Keith Crisco, who had served as the state’s commerce secretary under Gov. Bev Perdue.
For the week following the primary, results of the Democratic race were originally too close to call, with Aiken narrowly ahead of Crisco by less than 400 votes. But after a fall at his home, Crisco died suddenly on May 12, 2014, and Aiken was declared the winner of the primary.
Aiken faced Republican Renee Ellmers in the general election and lost, but limited Ellmers to less than 60% of the vote.
Aiken’s bid for the seat was documented in “The Runner-Up,” a four-part docuseries that aired in 2015.
Aiken now: Podcast and more
Since his last bid for Congress, Aiken has started hosting “How the Heck Are We Gonna Get Along,” a podcast for Politicon.
The podcast, which started in March 2020, features Aiken as the moderator, discussing politics and current events with rotating guests.
“We do our best not to choose guests who are dyed in the wool and refuse to listen to the other side,” Aiken told The N&O in a 2020 interview. “The goal is to have a conversation where people listen to each other.”
In the same 2020 interview with The N&O, Aiken discussed his political views, Confederate monuments, Donald Trump and more.
This story was originally published January 10, 2022 at 3:31 PM.
