It took 22 years for a Black artist to win ‘American Idol’ — and the OG winner had the perfect response
Jamal Roberts created history by becoming the second black artist to win season 23 of 'American Idol' on May 18. Before him, Ruben Studdard was the first Black artist to win the title during season 2 in 2003. The Grammy-nominated artist recently shared a commemorative post recalling his win on Instagram right after Roberts won the show. "22 years ago today, my life was forever changed. Every day of my life, someone tells me how many times they voted for me. I’m still humbled and grateful for all the support my home state and everyone around the country gave me during my time on American Idol. 205 forever!!!" he captioned the emotional post, which featured his iconic moment.
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Even after 22 years, fans lauded the Idol for being an exceptional singer on the show: "I feel like Ruben didn’t even think he was going to win, but he did and that’s all that matters because he was the best," a viewer wrote on a Reddit thread. "Ruben is from my state, so we rooted for him all the way and lost our minds when he won!" a fan gushed. "Ruben was the goat," an online user chimed in. Last year, Studdard had posted a celebratory post remembering his victory, "On May 21st, 2003, my dream became a reality. I’m a living witness that God will give you the desires of your heart.. Thank you to all the people that voted and prayed for me. 205 We did it!!!" he expressed in th caption.
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Season 1 winner Kelly Clarkson revealed that Studdard was the one competitor she was most afraid to challenge. "People always ask me of all the contestants on American Idol who I would be most nervous to go against, and for the past 20-plus years, my answer has always been Ruben," she revealed when the latter appeared on her talk show last year. Ironically, Studdard confessed the "exact same thing" that he wouldn't be able to stand the Grammy winner as his competitor. During the show, Studdard revealed that he went on a joint tour with runner-up Clay Aiken to celebrate their 20th anniversary. "We just did the Ruben and Clay 20th anniversary tour. It was fun to actually have an opportunity to meet the people who voted for us, like these people brought their pictures, they brought their uh shirts from our idol tour, like it was like really super nostalgic," he said.
Studdard had an interesting anecdote about what inspired him to take part in 'American Idol'. The 'I Need an Angel' singer revealed that, for the most part, as an artist, he was content being a member of a jazz band. He admitted to having zero aspirations about competing on a commercial show. But all that changed when he witnessed Clarkson win the first season. "I looked at my band and said I'm going to go do that, and they all laughed at me," he confessed. "I called a friend until after I made the top 30," the 'Together' hitmaker said while admitting that he remained focused on. Despite the odds, Studdard cleared the rounds and ultimately emerged as the winner.
