Clay Aiken says he misplaced “50 p.c” of his followers after he got here out as homosexual in 2008.
The singer — who obtained his massive break in music in 2003 as runner-up on Season 2 on American Idol — revealed he’s homosexual in a Individuals cowl story in 2008. In a brand new interview with the journal, he revealed that his profession took an enormous flip after he made his sexuality public.
“Again then it was an enormous deal,” he stated, referring to how occasions have modified within the final 16 years.
“We’re in a really completely different time,” he added. “I misplaced perhaps 50 p.c of the fan base.”
When Aiken got here out, he was starring in Spamalot on Broadway, and he stated his revelation had an influence on ticket gross sales.
“The primary 4 months that I used to be in [Spamalot], the present was promoting out, standing room solely,” he stated. “You possibly can really take a look at the ticket gross sales the week after that cowl got here out. It went from promoting very properly to the week after the quilt got here out, the ticket gross sales dropped. Spamalot ended up closing a couple of months after that.”
Aiken, who’s now 46, determined to return out shortly after his son was born. He was 29 on the time.
“It was the primary choice I made as a father,” he stated. “I can’t elevate a toddler to lie or to cover issues. I wasn’t raised that method, and I’m not going to boost a toddler to do this.”
He stands behind that call at the moment, saying he doesn’t remorse popping out when he did.
“Lots of people who come out now find yourself having boosts in recognition due to it. … That’s mind-blowing to me as a result of it’s the alternative of what occurred after I got here out,” he stated. “However it implies that there’s progress and it implies that as a rustic, we’re headed in the proper path.”
After greater than a decade away from music — which included two unsuccessful runs for Congress — Aiken not too long ago launched a vacation album, Christmas Bells Are Ringing.
