NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Think about the bond you share with a friend that you have known for two decades, and now imagine that you met when you were both 24, on a TV show that made each of you head-spinningly famous. There were record deals. Magazines with your faces on the cover. The tabloids tried to figure out who you were sleeping with. Ecstatic fans crashed your tables at restaurants. Through it all, a rude British man got paid to insult you.
Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard still share a bond like no other
38 million watched their ‘American Idol’ showdown in 2003. Now on a nostalgic concert tour, the two men reflect on the lasting prize of friendship.
By Emily Yahr