AMERICAN Idol's William Hung was seen getting the bus in Los Angeles after revealing he has a gambling addiction. The 41-year-old went viral with his off-key but enthusiastic audition for American Idol in 2004. William, who was 21 at the time, won over fans with his performance of Ricky Martin's She Bangs.
The brief clip was enough to catapult him to stardom and he appeared on talk shows and sports events in the years that followed. However, the singer was forced to return to his old job as an analyst for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department after spending his earnings on a betting addiction . On Wednesday, William was seen getting off a $9 bus at LAX airport after doing an interview about his gambling habits.
The analyst - who flew to LA from Las Vegas - wore a backpack promoting a gambling website as he pushed his luggage through Union Station to the subway. He looked casual in an orange T-shirt, baggy jeans, a navy jacket, and Nike Dunk sneakers. William shot to fame on the third season of American Idol, winning over viewers despite criticism on the show.
The judges laughed openly at his performance and Simon Cowell called it "one of the worst auditions we’ve had this year." His audition blew up online, sparking a parody on Saturday Night Live and countless memes. William appeared on talk shows for Jay Leno, Ellen DeGeneres, and Jimmy Kimmel.
He was a student at the time and had lived in the U.S. for a decade after immigrating with his family from Hong Kong.
I dev.
