Early 2000’s viral sensation William Hung made a rare TV appearance on Today Extra on Monday.
The 42-year-old hit the pop culture stratosphere thanks to his memorable audition on the 2004 season of American Idol.
William’s ‘unique’ take on Ricky Martin’s hit She Bangs became an internet sensation, with the clip of his enthusiastic yet off-key rendition racking up over three million views on YouTube.
While judges Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson tried to let William down gently after his tilt, Simon Cowell certainly did not mince words and called the performance ‘grotesque’.
Speaking to Today Extra hosts David Campbell and Sylvia Jeffreys 20 years after the fateful audition, William said that he was not surprised with Simon’s adverse reaction to his talents.
‘I expected Simon to be the negative person,’ William said.
‘I watched some shows before I went to audition, and I knew Simon was going to be the mean guy.’
William added that he was glad that he could turn what should have been a negative experience into a positive one.
Early 2000’s viral sensation William Hung has made a rare appearance on Today Extra, giving n audiences another taste of the tune that made him famous
‘Not everything in life will go according to your plan so, to this day I still continue to reinvent myself to use my story and experience to benefit more people,’ he explained.
‘I feel wonderful that I can turn a negative into a positive.’
Sylvia then asked William if he could sing the classic tune for old times sake and the unlikely star obliged, much to the host’s delight, with both Sylvia and David bopping along.
William’s ‘unique’ take on the Ricky Martin hit She Bangs became an internet phenomenon with the clip of his enthusiastic yet off-key rendition racking up more than three million views on YouTube
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After his failed audition, William went on to make countless lucrative appearances on TV lampooning his American Idol stint and he recorded three albums between 2004-2005.
He rapidly gained a cult following thanks to myriad television appearances on the likes of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Show With David Letterman, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and playing himself in the critically lauded comedy series Arrested Development.
In 2018, William’s journey came full circle when he joined Ricky Martin onstage the Park MGM Las Vegas to perform a duet of She Bangs.
The viral star also triumphantly returned to American Idol in 2016 for the 15th season finale and in 2022 for The Great Idol Reunion special.
‘I expected Simon to be the negative person,’ William revealed on Today Extra. ‘I watched some shows before I went to audition, and I knew Simon was going to be the mean guy’
Having retired from music in 2011, William is currently analysing data and statistics for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
In January, William spoke to People about overcoming a gambling addiction.
‘I knew I was good at poker, but then I got greedy,’ William told the publication.
‘I got into sports betting. The whole gamut. I know better [now]. I wasn’t supposed to do those things, but I did it anyway. And I paid for it. I got divorced [from my second wife], and I learned I had to be smart about which risks I chose to take.’