Season 2 ‘American Idol' Star Recounts His Audition With Simon Cowell: ‘He Said I Was Ugly'
Clay Aiken became a household name during season two of American Idol back in 2003. He recently appeared on the competition show again during the season 24 finale, performing his new single, "Rewind."
When speaking with Insider TV, he discussed the criticism that the judges gave him during his original audition when he was only 24. "He said I was ugly," the star said about Simon Cowell. "Go look it up. It's in there. You can watch the footage."
He continued, "Simon came from a world where it was all about the image, not necessarily looks. It was all about the image. In my audition, he said that I didn't look like a pop star, but that I had a great voice. I think there was an interesting quandary about whether or not America was going to vote for the best singers or are they going to vote for the people who look like pop stars."
He went on, "So, if you looked at [Season 2's] Top 12, you know Carmen Rasmusen – gorgeous! Trenyce, gorgeous! Kimberly Caldwell, gorgeous! And then you had me, and well, Ruben, who was a big guy."
Related: Season 1 ‘American Idol' Star Splits From Wife After 15 Years of Marriage
Although Cowell was harsh with Aiken, the singer only had kind words to say about the judge. "We'd get to see [Simon] after someone got cut," he said. "He'd come back and give a hug and say goodbye. [The judges] were all always very warm. [Simon] was very supportive of people."
He continued, "[Simon] said what he really felt, but that's why he's a TV genius, right? He knows how to make TV and he knew exactly what was necessary in terms of pushing buttons like nobody's business."
Aiken, who is now 47, is hoping to go on tour again soon. His new single was the first that he has released in 18 years.
"I am hoping to be able to tour," he said. "It would be lovely. We'll see how it goes. My kid is old enough, now. He's almost 18. In the early days of my career, the label gave me what songs to sing. They told me what concept to have on an album. I had to do an album of covers. I had to do an album of 50s and 60s songs. I didn't get the opportunity to choose stuff. I was kind of waiting for something to just jump out at me like ‘Rewind' has. I just knew immediately that this is not only a killer song, but it's about the urge for nostalgia. The need to remember better times."
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This story was originally published May 17, 2026 at 5:13 AM.