After years of rumors and innuendo,
Clay Aiken will likely disclose he is gay on the cover of People
magazine.
A photo of a People cover, where
Aiken cradles his new son Parker Foster Aiken, leaked onto the
Internet Tuesday. Celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton
(PerezHilton.com) was the first site to post the cover.
The headline reads “Yes, I'm Gay,”
and a quote from the crooner on his decision to out himself after
years of denial: “I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things.”
In 2003, Aiken wowed fans on Fox's
American Idol singer talent contest, where he won runner up.
Since then, the pop star has churned out multiple best-selling albums
and appeared on Broadway.
Aiken has long denied or evaded the
question of his sexuality.
“One thing I've found of people in
the public eye, either you're a womanizer or you've got to be gay.
Since I'm neither of those, people are completely concerned about
me,” Aiken told Rolling Stone in 2003.
But early denials did not calm rumors
of his being gay, and Aiken soon took a more hostile tone.
“I don't understand why you want to
know,” Aiken answered Diane Sawyer in a 2006 interview aired on
Good Morning America. “I don't understand why it's any of
your business. At some point, [the question of being gay] becomes
just really rude, you know?”
Parker Foster's birth by artificial
insemination to friend, music producer Jaymes Foster in August soon
gave rise once more to gay speculation.
People has featured other gay
celebrities on its cover, including former 'NSync band member Lance
Bass and actor Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother).