Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard are hitting the road together next year.
The two will mark their 20th anniversary competing on season 2 back in 2003. Ruben won the show while Clay came in second place. The two have been fast friends ever since, making numerous appearances together, including several tour.
On Monday, Ruben and Clay announced the tour titled “Twenty the Tour” that includes dates across the United States and Canada.
Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken celebrate 20 years of American Idol
“@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,” Ruben wrote on Instagram.
Twenty The tour will make stops in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta and more. The trek begins on April `1 in Troy, New York and concludes on May 16 in Wausau, Wisconsin. Tickets and schedule are available on the tour’s official website, rubenandclay.com.
Clay and Ruben will appear on the 2023 American Idol finale
The two appeared on The View on Monday to perform Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas” and chat about what’s ahead, including an appearance on the American Idol season 21 finale in May.
“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,” Clay shared with The View 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.”
As it turns out, the American Idol season 21 finale date will coincide exactly with the 20th anniversary of the season 2 finale episode. Appearing on the 2023 finale will be a full circle moment for the pair.
“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,” Clay wrote in a recent Instagram post.
The “Invisible” singer continued, “A lot gets written and said about ‘how sweet it is’ that R???? 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.”
