Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard are taking their friendship — which began on American Idol season two — on the road. On Monday (Dec. 12), the duo announced that they will be teaming up in 2023 for a joint tour — Twenty The Tour — across the United States and Canada.
“@clayaiken & I are hitting the road this Spring, twenty years after our debuts on American Idol. Join us for the first leg of Twenty | The Tour,” Studdard shared on Instagram, along with the official tour poster and dates for the first leg of the trek.
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Twenty The tour will make stops in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta and more, beginning on April 12 in Troy, N.Y., and concluding on May 16 in Wausau, Wis. Tickets for the tour are available for purchase through the tour’s official website, rubenandclay.com.
The pair chatted about their joint tour in a Monday appearance on The View after a jubilant performance of Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas.”
“We were here five years ago to announce our Broadway Christmas special, which was exciting for us. We’re getting old, Ruben, we are about to celebrate our 20th anniversary from the year we were on Idol, and so Ruben and I are are hitting the road together with a 20th anniversary tour all across the country through the year,” Aiken told The View‘s hosts. “We’re starting out this spring and we’re going to be celebrating the last 20 years since we did Idol and the music we’ve gotten to make and the friendships we made along the way.”
During the pair’s appearance on The View, they also revealed that they will be returning to American Idol in the upcoming season for the finale, as the finale date will coincide with their season two finale episode’s.
The second season of American Idol aired from January to May of 2003. Studdard faced off against Aiken in the finals, and ultimately won. Following the show, the pair remained close, which Aiken discussed in a Dec. 3 Instagram post.
“We don’t get to choose our family. Most family is predetermined by blood; some are predestined by God to come into our lives. I’ve got one brother who was born into my family and one brother who the good Lord introduced me to in 2003,” he wrote.
The “Invisible” singer continued, “A lot gets written and said about ‘how sweet it is’ that Rᴜʙᴇɴ and I have ‘kept in touch’ over the years. If you have the blessing of knowing Ruben Studdard, you understand: There aren’t many humans more selfless or gracious or loyal than he. America fell in love with him because his performances made them feel happy and welcomed; that’s who he is in real life too.”
See the full list of dates and Studdard’s announcement via Instagram below. Check out Aiken and Studdard’s appearance on The View in the video above.
