Meet Clay Aiken's Son, Parker Foster Aiken
Meet Clay Aiken's Son, Parker Foster Aiken
Francesca Gariano, Caroline BlairThu, May 14, 2026 at 2:04 PM UTC
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Clay Aiken and son Parker on April 5, 2025 in New York City; Clay Aiken and son Parker on Celebrity Family Feud.
Credit: Bruce Glikas/WireImage; Eric McCandless/Disney
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Clay Aiken has one son, whom he welcomed in 2008 with friend Jaymes Foster
Parker Foster Aiken is training to become a pilot
Aiken previously kept Parker out of the spotlight but supported his 2024 TV debut on Celebrity Family Feud
Clay Aiken is a proud father to one son.
The American Idol runner up — who returned to the show to perform his single "Rewind" on the season 24 finale on May 11 — welcomed his only child, son Parker Foster Aiken in August 2008.
Aiken and his longtime friend, music producer Jaymes Foster, planned to have a child through in vitro fertilization (IVF) and raise him together.
After Aiken became a father, he publicly came out as gay in a cover story for PEOPLE in September 2008.
"It was the first decision I made as a father," he explained at the time. "I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things. I wasn’t raised that way, and I’m not going to raise a child to do that.”
He further explained that he and Foster would raise their son in an environment that was “accepting and allowing him to be happy.” Aiken added, "No matter what the situation you’re in, if you’re raised in a loving environment, that’s the most important thing.”
Here’s everything to know about Clay Aiken’s son, Parker Foster Aiken.
He has a family name
Clay Aiken and son Parker Aiken attend the opening night of 'BOOP! The Musical' in New York City in April 2025
Credit: Bruce Glikas/WireImage
Aiken and Foster welcomed son Parker Foster Aiken on Aug. 8, 2008, at 8:08 a.m. in North Carolina.
At the time, Aiken's mom, Faye Parker, told the local television station WRALthat her son was “smiling from ear-to-ear” about the birth of his child, who had “dark hair.”
His parents are best friends
Clay Aiken and Jaymes Foster attend the David Foster Dinner at Bon Appetit Supper Club and Cafe on October 29, 2008 in New York City.
Credit: Jemal Countess/WireImage
Aiken and Foster were close friends when they decided to have a child together. They met when Aiken competed on American Idol, and Foster later produced a few of his albums, including A Thousand Different Ways.
The duo opened up to PEOPLE in September 2008 about their choice to co-parent Parker, with the singer noting that Foster had “always known that she wanted children.” Aiken also had the same wish, saying, "I had always dreamed of it, but never really saw it as a possibility until this happened.”
He shared that he didn’t “really remember whose idea it was” to have a kid together, adding, “It was one of those things where we were both thinking of it at the back of our heads.”
Foster described Aiken as “an incredible caregiver” who was “a natural” at changing diapers and helping lull Parker to sleep.
“On a larger scale, he's the perfect person,” she said. “He’s been a school teacher, we have the same morals, family is very important to him and Parker means everything to us."
His birth changed his dad’s life
Clay Aiken performs at the KISS FM Jingle Ball 2003.
Credit: MediaNews Group/Boston Herald/Getty
When asked during a June 2011 appearance on Innerviewsabout how the birth of his son transformed his life, Aiken replied candidly, “I’m obviously used to only thinking about myself, and now I can’t do that.”
“I have to make sure that I’m well aware of how my actions affect not just myself but my son and even beyond that,” the "Suspicious Mind" artist explained. “I went and bought a clean diesel after I had a child because I thought I needed to protect the earth now all of a sudden. I didn’t care about that before.”
Aiken noted that Parker's arrival changed “most of” his decisions and “everything” he did. “I actually find myself being a little less selfish than I have been in the past because of it," he added.
He has a famous uncle and aunt
Clay Aiken and David Foster during rehearsals in Vancouver for the David Foster Foundation charity fund raising gala.
Credit: Christopher Morris/Corbis/Getty
In addition to his parents, Parker has other musically talented relatives. His mother’s brother is fellow producer David Foster, who wed American Idol alum Katharine McPhee in June 2019, making Parker her nephew.
David spoke to AP Radioin April 2009 about his sister co-parenting a child with Aiken. “She's very close with Clay, they're best friends," he said (via The Register Citizen). "It made perfect sense to me that he'd want to have a child with his best friend."
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At the time, the "Best of Me" vocalist referred to Aiken as a “spectacular father" and Foster as “a natural mother.”
He was not impressed by his dad’s singing as a child
Clay Aiken performs onstage during the "Ruben & Clay: Twenty Years-One Night" tour on January 24, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Credit: Paras Griffin/Getty
Unlike fans across America, Parker wasn't an instant fan of his dad's singing.
“For some reason, I’m nervous to sing for him,” Aiken told Popeaterin June 2010. “My son doesn’t like to listen to me sing, but he enjoys listening to other people sing.”
Parker has gotten more opportunities to see his father perform as he’s grown older: Aiken reflected on the moments of his career his son has witnessed during an April 2023 interview with The Kokomo Post.
Aiken joked that Parker “could not be less impressed” by him but said that he was able to attend several performances of his Broadway production Ruben & Clay’s First Annual Christmas Carol Family Fun Pageant Spectacular Reunion Show in 2018 and “did actually love it.”
“But the last time I was in concert, he was 4, so he’s actually never seen me in concert that he would remember,” Aiken noted, referring to the decade-long break he took from touring. “So he’ll be at this one, and it’ll pretty much be his first time.”
However, there was no guarantee he’d pay attention, with Aiken joking, “He’ll be on his phone on TikTok during the whole show.”
He’s chosen to pursue flying
Clay Aiken and son Parker on Celebrity Family Feud.
Credit: Eric McCandless/Disney
While Aiken told E! News in May 2024 that Parker used to sing "all the time,” it wasn’t something that he was looking to pursue as a career.
Aiken explained to the outlet, "He's chosen a different path. He has something else he wants to do with his life. And I'm excited for him.”
However, if Parker were to change his mind, he would have plenty of musicians to turn to for advice.
"My son's got a lot of not only music, but Idol in his veins," Aiken added, noting that his uncle David, aunt Katharine and fellow American Idol alum Ruben Studdard were there for him.
Aiken would still support him if he wanted to sign up for the reality singing competition today. He explained, “I mean, I think that's what you're supposed to do is support whatever they want to do."
Instead of following in his dad's footsteps, Parker is training to be a pilot.
“He’s known what he wants to do for, gosh, his whole life,” Aiken told PEOPLE in June 2025. “It was a little weird to me because I didn’t know what I wanted to do — I still don’t.”
Aiken explained that Parker has "never changed his mind" on his future career and has started to train to become a licensed pilot.
“He just went and did his first solo flight two weeks ago, so a big milestone there,” he said. “Now we’re planning on the next one, which I’ll need even more Xanax for.”
He appeared on Celebrity Family Feud
Brett Parker, Jaymes Foster, Parker Aiken, Faye Parker, Clay Aiken and Steve Harvey on 'Family Feud'
Credit: DISNEY/Eric McCandless
In August 2024, Parker made his TV debut on Celebrity Family Feud. He participated in the beloved game show alongside his mom and dad and opposite his uncle David and aunt Katharine.
In an interview with E! News a few months later, Aiken said that Parker's appearance on the show was his "first time" in the spotlight after accomplishing his mission of "keeping him completely out of the public eye" as much as he could.
“I appreciate that he's been able to have a normal — or as close to a normal — childhood, as he could," he said.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
