02:07 PM EDT 04/19/2013
Clay Aiken
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Clay Aiken Announces Winning Writer of His Official Bio
Originally posted 10/21/2008 10:45AM
This has been quite a season for announcements from Clay Aiken.
Aiken, who besides making news as an openly gay father, is currently starring on Broadway in Monty Python's Spamalot.
His latest accomplishment is the announcement of the winner of the "Write Clay's Playbill Biography Contest," which provided members of the singer's fan club the opportunity to pen his official bio for program of the Tony-winning musical.
And the winner is: Jo-Anne Lopez of Carlsbad, Calif. Her publication-worthy prose (which takes into consideration the musical spoof's humorous reference to Finland):
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Clay Aiken Says, 'Nothing Has Changed'
Originally posted 10/06/2008 12:45PM
Two weeks after Clay Aiken announced he is an openly gay man, the Spamalot Broadway actor has taken to the Web to explain his coming-out decision to his fans.
"I would have preferred to separate my personal life from my professional life," Aiken, 29, writes on his clayonline.com. "But, living as myself without discussing my sexuality publicly would have been as impossible."
Writing on various message boards, many Aiken fans expressed feelings of betrayal by the American Idol alum.
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Clay Aiken: My Son's Surgery Was a Defining Moment
Originally posted 09/26/2008 07:00AM
When Clay Aiken's son, Parker, was four weeks old, the singer was thrust into panic mode: The baby, who had been vomiting with increasing frequency, was slated to undergo emergency surgery for an intestinal condition that complicates digestion.
"He had been gassy for weeks and then he started throwing up," Aiken, 29, tells PEOPLE in its latest issue. "Jaymes [Foster, the baby's mother] and I were trying to be calm, rational parents, so we didn't call the doctors too much, but it just got to a point where he was vomiting everything. He was starting to get dehydrated."
Parker was soon admitted to a nearby hospital and diagnosed with pyloric stenosis, a condition that prompted doctors to decide he needed surgery the following day.
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Lance Bass: 'I'm Happy' for Clay Aiken
Originally posted 09/25/2008 10:00AM
Support continues to pour in for Clay Aiken, who publicly acknowledges he's gay in the upcoming issue of PEOPLE. His latest well-wisher: Lance Bass, who came out on the cover of PEOPLE two years ago.
"I'm happy for him," says Bass, 29. "It's good to see someone actually being true to who they are. I think it's something that's nice to share with the world, because it really does relieve a lot of pressure off of you."
The former 'N Sync-er (who is currently on Dancing with the Stars) adds that he believes Aiken will "live his life the way he wants to live it and that's the best advice I can give him."
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Jaymes Foster: Clay's a 'Natural' Dad
Originally posted 09/25/2008 07:00AM
Clay Aiken's best friend – and the mother of their 7-week-old son Parker – music producer Jaymes Foster, 50, chatted with PEOPLE during the magazine's photo shoot at Aiken's home in North Carolina, where Foster is currently staying. While Aiken tended to Parker, who was conceived via in vitro fertilization, Foster dished about her pregnancy, being an older mom, and who's better at changing diapers:
What is it about Clay that makes him a great dad?
Jaymes: He's an incredible caregiver. As far as changing the diapers and seeing what's wrong with [Parker] and getting him to go sleep, Clay's a natural and he's really, really good with that. On a larger scale, he's the perfect person. He's been a school teacher, we have the same morals, family is very important to him and Parker means everything to us.
Jimmy Kimmel Addresses Clay Aiken's PEOPLE Cover
Originally posted 09/24/2008 08:00PM
Clay Aiken may have taken his decision to come out on the cover of PEOPLE seriously, but funnyman Jimmy Kimmel found some light-hearted humor in the revelation.
On Jimmy Kimmel Live! Tuesday night, the host joked during the opening monologue, "The big story today – yeah, I know there's an election going on, and a war, and the economy's a mess, but each of those stories takes a backseat, if you will, to this cover of PEOPLE magazine: Clay Aiken is gay. That's right."
"You know what, I had a feeling he was. I did – although he made no mention of this at all at our fantasy football draft."
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Former Idol Contestants Show Support for Clay
Originally posted 09/24/2008 04:25PM
Although Clay Aiken says his decision to come out might lose him a few fans, three of his former American Idol competitors have his back.
"This news does not change my opinion of him or my friendship with him," says Carmen Rasmusen, 23, who competed alongside Aiken during the show's second season. But she admits she was somewhat shocked by the news. "I'm surprised, I guess because he kept it quiet for so long!"
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Clay Aiken Left 'Speechless' By Supportive Fans
Originally posted 09/24/2008 02:10PM
As fans of Clay Aiken react to the news that he is gay, the singer himself has written about his gratitude he feels about the support he's received so far.
"We'll 'talk' more later," Aiken, 29, writes on his Web site's message board. "but, suffice it to say, for the first time in recent memory, I am speechless. I'm so proud to know and love all of you."
He adds, "My family is so much larger than Parker, Jaymes, mom, Brett, etc. It extends to each of you. And I couldn't be more blessed."
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Gay Groups Applaud Clay's Decision to Come Out
Originally posted 09/24/2008 11:55AM
Clay Aiken is receiving widespread kudos from lesbian and gay organizations for coming out as a gay man in this week's PEOPLE.
"We congratulate Clay for making this decision and for setting an example for others and his family," Neil Giuliano, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation said Tuesday morning. "As we're seeing, more and more gay people, including celebrities, are living openly and honestly, and this has tremendous impact in terms of creating awareness, understanding and acceptance."
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Clay Aiken: I'm a Gay Dad
Originally posted 09/24/2008 07:00AM
Following the Aug. 8 birth of his son Parker, singer Clay Aiken is following through on a promise he made to himself as a new dad: to publicly acknowledge that he's gay.
"It was the first decision I made as a father," Aiken, 29, tells the upcoming issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday. "I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things. I wasn't raised that way, and I'm not going to raise a child to do that."
Aiken says he expects the news may overwhelm some of his fans. "Whether it be having a child out of wedlock, or whether it be simply being a homosexual, it's going to be a lot," said Aiken, who returned to Broadway last week as Sir Robin in Monty Python's Spamalot.
He adds that he hopes his fans "know that I've never intended to lie to anybody at all. ... But if they leave, I don't want them to leave hating me."
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