William Hung rose to fame in 2004. He was one of the hopeful contestants on American Idol that season. His over-the-top enthusiasm and slightly off-pitch rendition of Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs” won the hearts of the viewers of the popular reality competition show. Fame, even of the 15-minute variety, is not always all it is cracked up to be.
For a while, William supported himself in the entertainment field. When that dried up, he got a “normal” job. He found himself gambling for fun but it soon got out of control and he became addicted to it. His wife asked for a divorce. Since his darkest moments, William has been able to turn his life around. He returned to his old job and hopes to start a family with his new wife, Hannah.
William never wanted to be famous. When he auditioned for Idol he was an engineering student at University of California Berkeley. "It was all very surprising," William, 41, told People. "I didn't expect that. I had no expectations going in other than thinking that it was going to be fun."
William told the judges in his audition that he might not be the best singer but he “sings from the heart.” William wasn’t lying. The judges laughed and not in a good way. Judge Simon Cowell called his performance "one of the worst auditions we've had this year." If that wasn’t enough he added: "I mean, everything about it was grotesque.”
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William might not have made it on the show, but he became a household name and pop culture phenomenon. He dropped out of school to make the most of his fame. "I had my moment at the top," he recalled. "My first album, Inspiration, was the No. 1 independent album on the Billboard charts." He also gave acting a try with a cameo on shows like Arrested Development and appeared on several commercials. He also became a motivational speaker.
His fame was not long-lasting or sustainable. "In this situation, very few people can stay on top for long," he explained. "So after a little while, I thought, I don't want to waste my life, so I went back to school, finished my degree and looked for a stable job. That was OK with me. I'd already gotten more out of American Idol than I ever could have expected."
William got a degree in mathematics then went on to get his MBA. He got a job as a statistical analyst for the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department. "I like data, playing with numbers and computers, so it was something I enjoyed," he recalled. For fun, he played poker.
Things took a turn for the worse when he decided to pursue gambling full time. "I quit my job three years ago and became a professional poker player," he recalled. "I'd been doing it on the side for a while, and I decided maybe I was good enough to go for it. I was earning way more doing that than I was at my regular job. It was going well for a while.” This prosperity did not last. "Unfortunately I developed a gambling addiction," he added.
William quickly got in over his head. "I knew I was good at poker, but then I got greedy. 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," he mused. "And I paid for it. I got divorced, and I learned I had to be smart about which risks I chose to take."
Thankfully, William was able to work through his addiction. He went back to his job with the sheriff's department. He got married to his wife Hannah in 2023. The couple wants to have children. William still occasionally works in the entertainment industry, but that is not his main focus these days.
William hopes to be a positive role model for people. He stresses that mindset is everything. "I remind people to expect the unexpected, and that whatever happens, having the positive outlook in life helps,” he advised. “It is a choice to see the good in a potentially bad situation, or see the good in the potentially bad people who might try to take advantage of me or whatnot. That's the way I reframe my mindset. Instead of feeling bad for myself, I think, how could I make this more mutually beneficial? So I think that's the biggest takeaway from this whole experience."
