🤗Clay is such a wise and diplomatic person. Forgiving ignorance is an act of unconditional love. He is an evolved and gracious human being. I am so happy for him and grateful he is still in our world !!! 👍 HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE🧡
Clay is so forgiving and down to earth. Fun to see him be interviewed long form. Insane that sales dropped for Broadway, which is gay to begin with, because a guy, who everyone assumed was gay, came out as gay. I guess it's more of a brave move on his part than I thought
How sad. When you think about it, 2008 wasn’t THAT long ago, and the fact that he actually lost fans, and in such a significant amount, is just terrible. I’ll never understand what bothers people so much about it. He’s the exact same person as he was prior, and it’s not THEIR life, it’s his. He’s not hurting anyone, he’s a kind hearted person, so what is the big deal? If it’s about religion, he’ll need to answer to whatever higher power he believes in someday, and if HE’S ok with his relationship with that entity, why does anyone else care? I hope his new album has sales up the wazoo. He’s still one of, if not THE most talented artist to come out of the entire American Idol franchise
even in 2010 2 guys couldn't kiss on the lips on national tv. Adam Lambert kissed a guy during a music awards show performance and they quickly changed camera angles and there was a bit of backlash due to the kiss. it's strange how things change in 14 shortish years.
LITERALLY. I keep hearing “we’re under attack!” And I’m like Omg CHILL. You can literally walk down the street in drag and make it home alive these days. That’s a BLESSING. So tired of the constant fear mongering acting like there is some sort of lgbt attack happening just bc a few people disagree with some points of the community. 😂
a lot of us gay people have seen such a sea change in attitudes about sexuality. We’d be canceling almost everybody if we dismissed people who were homophobic or not openly supportive. We’ve seen that people and society can change. Hopefully this experience helps us realize that people need the space to be wrong and learn. Clay Aiken is modeling that well.
I remember being a fan of his. I suspected he was gay, but it didn't bother me or change how I thought of him. I still like him. He is an awesome & talented person.
Clay seems like such a genuinely nice person. But, I watched you on American Idol and I do not think anyone thought you were straight. You are right, 2008 was way different than 2024 - Clay just keep being yourself - your a joy in this world.
I will never understand this. Anyone who saw him should have known he was gay, and wasn't a surprise. And I will never understand why it even mattered. He is a talented man and a good person and that was all I ever gave a shit about.
Clay is really such a wise person. He just thinks with both intelligence and common sense which is hard to find. He doesn’t just finger point and blame. He just logically thinks through things. This is literally the first Clay Aiken I’ve ever seen and I am now such a fan! Truly a great interview and discussion on so many things! Great job guys!
I guess it's (somewhat of) a sign of progress that (six years later) Adam Lambert didn't address his sexuality on the show either (because both were pretty obviously gay - and Adam had been "out" for years in his "real" life). He still came in second (everyone should be sure that homophobia played a role in that looking back), but because his talent was so undeniable, it probably worked out better for Adam that he didn't "win." No disrespect, but where's the other guy now? Cultural change usually only happens in baby steps. The one time I'm aware of that it advanced in leaps and bounds was when MTV didn't want to air Michael Jackson's videos (they only aired white "rock" artists and didn't want to alienate that audience) - and then they couldn't wait to air the next MJ video fast enough after they were literally FORCED to air "Billie Jean" by CBS Records (under the threat of them pulling all of their other artists) if they didn't; MTV even ended up paying for the iconic "Thriller" video ($1.2 million when most music videos were about $50 grand at the time) in order to have the exclusive rights to the "Making of Thriller" documentary until the VHS cassette came out. People don't tend to shift their positions until they have a reason - and corporations (especially) don't shift theirs until they're fairly sure that they won't lose money/customers in the process.
People from all over the world go to Broadway when someone they like is starring in a show. So being the world is huge lol, there are a lot of ignorant people in it
Funny he brings up Ellen, because I remember being a teen when Ellen came out, and my folks DID stop liking her show because all she talked about now was being gay. And I remember her show going away shortly after that. Back then, sales absolutely were impacted by your sexuality. When Aiken came out in 2008, it wasn't widely accepted, and even when Lambert came out in 2009, it STILL wasn't widely accepted. I'd be surprised if someone arguing that they don't think sales were impacted by sexuality wasn't quite young or not born then.
The only thing dumber than having a problem with gay people is being surprised and then angry as a clay aiken fan after he came out. The only sign missing about Clay being gay was him literally wearing a sign declaring it. And I say that respectfully.
I’m a fan of Pentatonix which has two out gay men in the group. They also began on a reality show The Sing Off. They have been very successful, but they are hard working and talented. Scott Hoying was reluctant to come out being afraid it would hurt his career, but luckily things have changed.
From what I remember, Clay had a lot, I mean a LOT, of fans who were older - 40s, 50s, 60s and up. I think maybe they saw him as a reminder of the "teen idol" guys they grew up getting crushes on, and the big reveal was just a bit much for that generation to handle. Plus Idol and I guess his management were promoting him as straight, so some fans felt lied to. Wrong or right, that's probably why there was that bad reaction, it was kind of a generational thing.
We need to as the younger generation also respect the older generation and what they were taught etc. That’s not to say that bigotry is okay but I saw a video of a straight white girl trying to explain to her 90 something year old grandma that she was a “they/them” and heavily implying the grandma was some sort of bigot for not remembering to call her “they” and it’s just getting ridiculous and a slap in the face to the actual LGBT members who fought for tolerance. Like big whoop you got a nose ring and dyed your hair green, stop pretending your identity has changed 😂
@@rogetrogetgiddy I don’t think he was ready to accept it himself at that time because of his religious upbringing, and I don’t think he had even come out to his mother.
I’m TS and a decade ago society at least had a clear definition of what “trans” even meant. Now it means nothing and there is constant conflicting messaging and if you question it you get attacked and called a bigot. We’re not “under attack”, we have more rights then we’ve ever had and everyone needs to relax and enjoy the tolerance we worked for. So tired of green haired straight white girls with nose rings and a they them pronoun pin trying to tell me they are oppressed and under attack for being “trans”. It’s ridiculous and society ain’t buying it. Time to go back to the original definition of transsexual and all the “identity” people can find a new trend like emo or a new political identity to colonize.
Season 2 of American Idol was the first season I watched. I didn’t know Clay wasn’t out. I assumed he was gay. It’s amazing to me that ticket sales for his Broadway show would have went down. Broadway is so gay.
We all kinda knew while season 2 was going on. He could have just mentioned it on the interview circuit. By splashing it on People Mag Cover for cash was too much. I'm glad Clay is back on track with singing. This Claymate is bummed I can't get my mitts on the new CD. Amazon has sold out and I'm on the waiting list. I'm not buying an LP, lived thru those in the mid 70s, they have disadvantages.
I believe he went through all this but considering Adam Lambert was on the 2009 show and the winner that year I've never heard of tells me there is more too it then liking men. Perhaps you had females crushing and you popped their bubble?
I don't believe Clay that his sexuality negatively affected him. Everyone knew he was gay. The problem is, he wasn't releasing new music and he was a singer trying to act. He wasn't giving people what they want from him, singing, so people lost interest. And now he's trying politics instead of getting on a stage and singing. Clay needs to just do what he's good at instead of blaming the public for made up crap.
This is so wrong on many levels. Literally explained what it was like to be a semi-closeted person…and you come by and say “oh, he is wrong” because of my opinion with lack of relatable experience.
I can see where he is coming from. It's not about him not being angry- he is pragmatic about it. There's a difference- and he's allowed to have his own feelings and thoughts about it considering it was his experience 🤷♂️
after everything thats happened the past 4 years (socially, politically, economically), especially with the intense level of trans confusion, people are going back to God, His truth, His right and wrong, and a personal relationship with Him. its not that people are against you personally, they're just with Gods truth and meaning for right vs. wrong behavior.
🤗Clay is such a wise and diplomatic person. Forgiving ignorance is an act of unconditional love. He is an evolved and gracious human being. I am so happy for him and grateful he is still in our world !!! 👍 HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE🧡
Clay is so forgiving and down to earth. Fun to see him be interviewed long form. Insane that sales dropped for Broadway, which is gay to begin with, because a guy, who everyone assumed was gay, came out as gay. I guess it's more of a brave move on his part than I thought
I didn’t realize how well spoken Clay is.
How sad. When you think about it, 2008 wasn’t THAT long ago, and the fact that he actually lost fans, and in such a significant amount, is just terrible. I’ll never understand what bothers people so much about it. He’s the exact same person as he was prior, and it’s not THEIR life, it’s his. He’s not hurting anyone, he’s a kind hearted person, so what is the big deal? If it’s about religion, he’ll need to answer to whatever higher power he believes in someday, and if HE’S ok with his relationship with that entity, why does anyone else care? I hope his new album has sales up the wazoo. He’s still one of, if not THE most talented artist to come out of the entire American Idol franchise
even in 2010 2 guys couldn't kiss on the lips on national tv. Adam Lambert kissed a guy during a music awards show performance and they quickly changed camera angles and there was a bit of backlash due to the kiss. it's strange how things change in 14 shortish years.
i do appreciate clay acknowledging progress.. Thats something society often doesn't do and dwells in negativity
LITERALLY. I keep hearing “we’re under attack!” And I’m like Omg CHILL. You can literally walk down the street in drag and make it home alive these days. That’s a BLESSING. So tired of the constant fear mongering acting like there is some sort of lgbt attack happening just bc a few people disagree with some points of the community. 😂
He is so beautifully spoken .
What a gorgeous man inside and out !
I’ve always been a fan and always will be
I was shocked people were shocked. He still could sing.
a lot of us gay people have seen such a sea change in attitudes about sexuality. We’d be canceling almost everybody if we dismissed people who were homophobic or not openly supportive. We’ve seen that people and society can change. Hopefully this experience helps us realize that people need the space to be wrong and learn. Clay Aiken is modeling that well.
he was LAMBASTED and treated so, so poorly once coming out. It was a crazy time. But he is talented. And I'm glad he speaks out about it.
Do you mean in popular discourse or by media as well?
I remember being a fan of his. I suspected he was gay, but it didn't bother me or change how I thought of him. I still like him. He is an awesome & talented person.
I think a high percentage of his fan realized that he was gay. It wasn’t exactly a secret on the fan forums I was involved with at the time.
Clay seems like such a genuinely nice person. But, I watched you on American Idol and I do not think anyone thought you were straight. You are right, 2008 was way different than 2024 - Clay just keep being yourself - your a joy in this world.
I will never understand this. Anyone who saw him should have known he was gay, and wasn't a surprise. And I will never understand why it even mattered. He is a talented man and a good person and that was all I ever gave a shit about.
It's a little odd that you would think that gay looks or sounds like something specific - especially in 2024.
@@fuzzykyrraStereotypically, it does. He fits that bill. Not extremely so, but he does.
@@fuzzykyrra um being gay is often obvious 😅😅😅
Clay is really such a wise person. He just thinks with both intelligence and common sense which is hard to find. He doesn’t just finger point and blame. He just logically thinks through things. This is literally the first Clay Aiken I’ve ever seen and I am now such a fan! Truly a great interview and discussion on so many things! Great job guys!
I guess it's (somewhat of) a sign of progress that (six years later) Adam Lambert didn't address his sexuality on the show either (because both were pretty obviously gay - and Adam had been "out" for years in his "real" life). He still came in second (everyone should be sure that homophobia played a role in that looking back), but because his talent was so undeniable, it probably worked out better for Adam that he didn't "win." No disrespect, but where's the other guy now? Cultural change usually only happens in baby steps. The one time I'm aware of that it advanced in leaps and bounds was when MTV didn't want to air Michael Jackson's videos (they only aired white "rock" artists and didn't want to alienate that audience) - and then they couldn't wait to air the next MJ video fast enough after they were literally FORCED to air "Billie Jean" by CBS Records (under the threat of them pulling all of their other artists) if they didn't; MTV even ended up paying for the iconic "Thriller" video ($1.2 million when most music videos were about $50 grand at the time) in order to have the exclusive rights to the "Making of Thriller" documentary until the VHS cassette came out. People don't tend to shift their positions until they have a reason - and corporations (especially) don't shift theirs until they're fairly sure that they won't lose money/customers in the process.
That’s so weird that tickets sells would go down because he came out but he was on a Broadway show lol Broadway is about as gay as it can get
Right?!! It's more like people that come out of the closet that work on Broadway are going to come out as straight. Lol.
makes no sense to me at all.
People from all over the world go to Broadway when someone they like is starring in a show. So being the world is huge lol, there are a lot of ignorant people in it
Funny he brings up Ellen, because I remember being a teen when Ellen came out, and my folks DID stop liking her show because all she talked about now was being gay. And I remember her show going away shortly after that. Back then, sales absolutely were impacted by your sexuality. When Aiken came out in 2008, it wasn't widely accepted, and even when Lambert came out in 2009, it STILL wasn't widely accepted. I'd be surprised if someone arguing that they don't think sales were impacted by sexuality wasn't quite young or not born then.
The only thing dumber than having a problem with gay people is being surprised and then angry as a clay aiken fan after he came out.
The only sign missing about Clay being gay was him literally wearing a sign declaring it. And I say that respectfully.
For the life of me, I don’t understand why a celebrity’s sexuality has anything to do with the public. It’s none ya….none ya business!
I’m a fan of Pentatonix which has two out gay men in the group. They also began on a reality show The Sing Off. They have been very successful, but they are hard working and talented. Scott Hoying was reluctant to come out being afraid it would hurt his career, but luckily things have changed.
From what I remember, Clay had a lot, I mean a LOT, of fans who were older - 40s, 50s, 60s and up. I think maybe they saw him as a reminder of the "teen idol" guys they grew up getting crushes on, and the big reveal was just a bit much for that generation to handle. Plus Idol and I guess his management were promoting him as straight, so some fans felt lied to. Wrong or right, that's probably why there was that bad reaction, it was kind of a generational thing.
He also denied it. That didn't help
We need to as the younger generation also respect the older generation and what they were taught etc. That’s not to say that bigotry is okay but I saw a video of a straight white girl trying to explain to her 90 something year old grandma that she was a “they/them” and heavily implying the grandma was some sort of bigot for not remembering to call her “they” and it’s just getting ridiculous and a slap in the face to the actual LGBT members who fought for tolerance. Like big whoop you got a nose ring and dyed your hair green, stop pretending your identity has changed 😂
@@rogetrogetgiddy I don’t think he was ready to accept it himself at that time because of his religious upbringing, and I don’t think he had even come out to his mother.
It’s just so insane that this was an issue not so long ago. It really gives me hope that we’ll be able to move past anti trans mentalities eventually.
I’m TS and a decade ago society at least had a clear definition of what “trans” even meant. Now it means nothing and there is constant conflicting messaging and if you question it you get attacked and called a bigot. We’re not “under attack”, we have more rights then we’ve ever had and everyone needs to relax and enjoy the tolerance we worked for. So tired of green haired straight white girls with nose rings and a they them pronoun pin trying to tell me they are oppressed and under attack for being “trans”. It’s ridiculous and society ain’t buying it. Time to go back to the original definition of transsexual and all the “identity” people can find a new trend like emo or a new political identity to colonize.
loved this!
One of the most beautiful voices in the world.
I forget how horribly people would be treated. It wasn’t that long ago.
Season 2 of American Idol was the first season I watched. I didn’t know Clay wasn’t out. I assumed he was gay. It’s amazing to me that ticket sales for his Broadway show would have went down. Broadway is so gay.
The funny thing is acted gay from beginning so people who thought he wasn’t gay are delusional
Always loved Clay
Clay is a talented artist & I enjoy his music, regardless of him being gay or not….
We all kinda knew while season 2 was going on. He could have just mentioned it on the interview circuit. By splashing it on People Mag Cover for cash was too much. I'm glad Clay is back on track with singing. This Claymate is bummed I can't get my mitts on the new CD. Amazon has sold out and I'm on the waiting list. I'm not buying an LP, lived thru those in the mid 70s, they have disadvantages.
He should have been honest from day one. He literally denied it, instead of owning who he was.
I really like him. He is a normal gay. Not a wacko gay.
I believe he went through all this but considering Adam Lambert was on the 2009 show and the winner that year I've never heard of tells me there is more too it then liking men. Perhaps you had females crushing and you popped their bubble?
He denied being gay. He led people on. Maybe some people just don't like liars
I don't believe him for a second that ticket sales were impacted by his sexuality.
Cancel culture
I don't believe Clay that his sexuality negatively affected him. Everyone knew he was gay. The problem is, he wasn't releasing new music and he was a singer trying to act. He wasn't giving people what they want from him, singing, so people lost interest. And now he's trying politics instead of getting on a stage and singing. Clay needs to just do what he's good at instead of blaming the public for made up crap.
2008 really was a different time.
This is so wrong on many levels. Literally explained what it was like to be a semi-closeted person…and you come by and say “oh, he is wrong” because of my opinion with lack of relatable experience.
You should be angry. You're still behaving like you're pandering to the bigots. It was shameful. Who are you trying to protect?
I can see where he is coming from. It's not about him not being angry- he is pragmatic about it. There's a difference- and he's allowed to have his own feelings and thoughts about it considering it was his experience 🤷♂️
When you become a parent your priorities change.... He doesn't have time to be angry he's happy raising his children.
Why? He lied and denied the claims. He should have just been confident, publicly.
@@rogetrogetgiddyhe never said he wasn’t gay, he just avoided the question altogether. But it was no one’s business anyway
If you think he is pandering to bigots you’re insane and must be under 18 😂 you people have NO IDEA what oppression even is.
after everything thats happened the past 4 years (socially, politically, economically), especially with the intense level of trans confusion, people are going back to God, His truth, His right and wrong, and a personal relationship with Him. its not that people are against you personally, they're just with Gods truth and meaning for right vs. wrong behavior.
God's truth? He wouldn't exist if your God's truth was actually real. It's man's truth 🤷.
😂
he looks like hes in his mid to late 50s...yt people really age terrible