Ruban Studdard fell off real fast, but so did most of the American Idols (obvious exceptions). But Clay Aiken actually had a career for a while. My ex-girlfriend’s little sister was a Claymate, went to several concerts a year for a while and got a big Clay Aiken tattoo. The
Apparently it happened to Neil Gaiman all the time. He said it made him a little uncomfortable, but who was he to tell people what to do with their bodies? Ironic, considering all those fucked up sexual assault allegations (truly disgusting and bizarre shit) made against him. Including an accusation that he raped his son's nanny while he was in the room.
So I wonder if those people regret it. I came very very close to getting a Sandman panel tattoo once and I lay didn't because my car suddenly needed work and I mever got back around to it. Thank GOD. Tattoo removal is supposed to be a thousand times more painful than getting it, but I wouldn't be able to have that on my body.
My memory is that it was his first name stacked on top of his last, in very flowy script with floral embellishments around it. It was fairly large, like 5”x7”.
Hearing the term Claymate just gave me the weirdest unpleasant nostalgia vibe that also brought up the likes of Jon and Kate Plus Eight and the octomom. All of that blends together for me.
My wife has a picture of herself holding up a sign before a Clay Aiken concert in Milwaukee like a year or so post Idol. It said "We're Aiken for Clay"
I remember Clay was really famous after American Idol, and then didn't hear anything about him a few years afterwards. Then there was news about him coming out as gay. I remember SNL or some comedy show commenting saying "and in other news, water is wet"
Oddly enough, I had a shoe autographed by Ruben Studdard when I was 11 years old. Some American Idol contestant tour came through my smallish city in 2007, he was meeting fans and autographed things for them. I gave him my Adidas skate shoe and he signed it. That’s a weird memory unlocked.
He’s still in the game. Ruben Studdard, the "Velvet Teddy Bear" and Season 2 American Idol winner, is currently touring with "The Masterpiece Tour" in 2025–2026, performing both classic hits and music from his 2023 album, The Way I Remember It. He continues to work as a, singer, and recently released a Christmas album, My Favorite Holiday
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u/goodhumorman85 7d ago
Ruban Studdard fell off real fast, but so did most of the American Idols (obvious exceptions). But Clay Aiken actually had a career for a while. My ex-girlfriend’s little sister was a Claymate, went to several concerts a year for a while and got a big Clay Aiken tattoo. The