Clay Aiken Reveals ‘American Idol’ Season 2 Contestants Have a Running Text Thread: ‘We Stay in Touch’

Longtime fans of American Idol will be pleased to learn that season 2 contestants Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard still stay in touch to this day — 23 years after their season finale.

While appearing on the Sunday, June 14 episode of the Classic Conversations podcast with host Jeff Dwoskin, Aiken, 47, spoke candidly about staying in touch with both Studdard, 47, and other contestants from season 2, revealing that they’re all part of a text message thread that is still active.

“Oh, we stay in touch. I mean, I don’t see how anybody could go through that experience and not be very good friends with people who they were, who they did it with,” he revealed. “We stay in touch, our whole season is connected. We don’t stay in touch as much as we used to, but it’s 23 years on.”

Aiken revealed that the chat comes alive when they want to wish one another a happy birthday or congratulate each other on a life event. He noted that they don’t often talk business on the thread, even though he’s often had business arrangements with Studdard.

In 2023, they went on tour together to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of season 2. A year later, they competed on The Masked Singer at the same time and Aiken even said that they’re considered uncles to their kids.

“I love working with Ruben; I love being around him,” he explained, adding, “He’s my brother.”

Studdard and Aiken ended up being in the final two in the 2003 season of American Idol. Ultimately, the winning title went to Studdard, but both found immense fame and, as it turns out, friendship, after the show concluded.

“You know, it’s such a seminal point in your life that it’s like college, but more important, and so you, you stay,” he explained. “I’m still friends with people from college, so I’m still friends with Ruben and those folks who I went through that with.”