Clay Aiken Tells People About Coming Out (It’s Hard)

Clay Aiken’s Out, which means that there are lots of “told you sos” going around, plenty of teens feeling less confused about. . . things, and more than a few Claymates sleeping better at night. In an interview with PEOPLE released today, Clay gave us some juicy details on coming out to his family and how they took it. Unfortunately, things weren’t as smooth as one would hope:

On Telling His Mom: “I started crying in the car,” Aiken remembers. “It was dark. I was sitting there, thinking to myself. I don’t know why I started thinking about it … I just started bawling. She made me pull over the car and it just came out.”

“She started crying. She was obviously somewhat stunned. But she was very supportive and very comforting.” Even now, Aiken admits, “She still struggles with things quite a bit, but she’s come a long way.”

She was stunned? I thought for sure Moms Always Knew. Clay might have been good at concealing it from her (?!), but the decision to be honest with a new family addition is a noble one. Bravo, Clay!