Early 2000s viral superstar William Hung makes rare TV appearance – 20 years after his brutal audition on American Idol
William Hung, a viral sensation in the early 2000s, made a rare TV appearance on Today Extra on Monday.
The 42-year-old broke into pop culture thanks to his memorable audition for the 2004 season of American Idol.
Williams’ “unique” version of Ricky Martin’s hit “She Bangs” became an internet sensation, with the clip of his enthusiastic but off-key rendition having been viewed more than three million times on YouTube.
While judges Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson tried to gently disparage William after his outburst, Simon Cowell pulled no punches, calling the performance “grotesque.”
Speaking to Today Extra presenters David Campbell and Sylvia Jeffreys, 20 years after the fateful audition, William said he was not surprised by Simon’s negative reaction to his talents.
“I expected Simon to be a negative person,” William said.
“I had seen a few shows before I auditioned, and I knew Simon would be a bad guy.”
William added that he was happy that he was able to turn an experience that should have been negative into a positive one.
Early 2000s viral sensation William Hung has made a rare appearance on Today Extra, giving Australian audiences another taste of the song that made him famous
“Not everything in life goes according to plan, so to this day I continue to reinvent myself to use my story and experience to help more people,” he explains.
“I love that I can turn something negative into something positive.”
Sylvia then asked William if he would sing the classic song to commemorate the old days. The unlikely star agreed, much to the host’s delight, with Sylvia and David both joining in.
Williams’ “unique” version of the Ricky Martin hit She Bangs became an internet phenomenon, with the clip of his enthusiastic but out-of-tune version amassing over three million views on YouTube
After his failed audition, William made numerous television appearances, where he ridiculed his role on American Idol. He recorded three albums between 2004 and 2005.
He quickly gained cult status thanks to numerous television appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Show With David Letterman, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and playing himself in the critically acclaimed comedy series Arrested Development.
In 2018, Williams’ journey came full circle when he joined Ricky Martin on stage at the Park MGM Las Vegas to duet on She Bangs.
The viral star also made a triumphant return to American Idol in 2016 for the season 15 finale and in 2022 for the special The Great Idol Reunion.
“I expected Simon to be the negative guy,” William revealed on Today Extra. “I watched a bunch of shows before I went in to audition, and I knew Simon was going to be the mean guy.”
William retired from music in 2011 and currently analyzes data and statistics for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
In January, William spoke with People about overcoming a gambling addiction.
“I knew I was good at poker, but then I got greedy,” William told the publication.
‘I started with sports betting. The whole spectrum. I know better 1723441112. I shouldn’t have done those things, but I did them anyway. And I paid for them. I’m divorced. [from my second wife]and I learned that I had to think wisely about the risks I took.’