Parker, a fifteen-year-old son of Clay Aiken, recently appeared on Celebrity Family Feud with Steve Harvey.
Two decades don’t seem like they have passed since Clay Aiken, who finished second only to Ruben Studdard in the second season of American Idol, finished.
That being said, it has, and now Clay is doing that thing where he appears on TV with a small replica of himself that is almost fully grown, serving as a constant reminder to us all that Season 2 of American Idol was a very long time ago.
After American Idol Season 2 concluded, Clay didn’t completely disappear from the public eye; in fact, he remained incredibly busy during his post-reality TV career.
Aiken campaigned for Congress in 2014 in his home state of North Carolina’s 2nd Congressional District in addition to pursuing his singing career.
After Season 2 of Idol concluded in 2003, Clay’s son Parker was born in 2008.
People featured Parker in July and mentioned that his father had mainly kept him out of the public eye:
Parker was welcomed in August 2008 by the runner-up on American Idol, Clay, and his closest friend, music producer Jaymes Foster. Despite not having a romantic relationship, Clay and James made plans to raise their son together, and she got pregnant through in vitro fertilization.
“Clay hasn’t shared many pictures of his son on social media, talked about him in interviews, or made public remarks about him throughout the years. However, when Clay does talk about Parker and his personality behind the scenes, it’s a rare event.”
According to People, Clay came out as gay in September 2008 when his son was born. He stated at the time:
It was the first choice I made after becoming a father. I am unable to teach my children to lie or conceal things. I didn’t grow up that way, and I won’t raise my kids that way either.”
After coming out, Clay noted how frequently people asked him about his sexual orientation and how, during his time on Idol, he had to prepare for nonstop jokes:
“I knew my name was coming if I heard someone on a sitcom or late-night show setting up a gay joke. I held my breath.” I was correct eighty percent of the time.”
Interest in the younger Aiken began to grow a month after People published their profile, when Clay and Parker Aiken were competitors on Celebrity Family Feud.
Clay Wasn’t the Only Former American Idol Contestant to Appear on Celebrity Family Feud
An excerpt from the opening credits of Aiken’s August 6 Celebrity Family Feud program was released by ABC.
The video began with Clay explaining the dynamics between the two sides on stage, however the tape was unlisted and so not embeddable:
“We have quite a diverse group here on stage. We’re not just two American Idol runners-up; we also have Fosters representing both sides of the aisle.”
Partly referring to his “side of the aisle,” Clay’s reference to “Fosters” also alluded to the other side, where fellow Idol alum Katherine McPhee Foster and husband David Foster were seated.
In response to Steve’s request that Clay “introduce everybody,” Clay began by introducing his mother Faye. He then introduced his brother and son and discussed the dynamics between the two parties.
“This is my son Parker making his TV debut, along with his mother Jaymes, who is also David’s sister, and my brother Brett.”
As he established who was related to whom on the opposing teams, Clay joked about Jaymes’ allegiances on Celebrity Family Feud. Jaymes is both Parker’s mother and David (Foster)’s sister.
“That’s David’s sister, Jaymes, and David’s nephew, Parker. Yes, Jaymes is on the right team. She wanted to win tonight, which is why she’s [unintelligible].”
Parker Aiken won the match for his team, bringing in $25,000 for charity, according to USA Today:
Harvey was skeptical of Parker’s response, but she managed to win the question “Name a famous Tom that a girl would love to go to the prom with” by putting up Tom Holland.
Aiken’s family ultimately secured the victory for their charity, the National Inclusion Project.
Clay’s prediction that the Aiken family would win was spot on, and they proceeded to the “Fast Money” round.
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