PUBLISHED ONJanuary 16, 2024 2:57 AMByYeo Shu HuiThose who watched American Idol in the early 2000s would remember William Hung and his off-key rendition of Ricky Martin's song She Bangs during his audition for the third season of the show.
While he did not expect to gain fame from that, William, then 20 years old, was offered multiple opportunities in Hollywood, including appearing on talk shows, commercials, television sitcoms and later in a Hong Kong movie. He also made a surprise appearance on American Idol season 20 in May 2022.
The 41-year-old, who was born in Hong Kong and based in America, revealed that out of the spotlight, things didn't go that well for him over the years, according to a report by People's Magazine on Jan 14.
Wiliam shared that after earning his Master's degree in 2015, he worked as a statistical analyst in the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department and later as an administrative assistant in the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. He was also gambling in the meantime.
He later quit his job to become a professional poker player.
"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," William shared.
However, things went downhill after he developed a gambling addiction and got into sports betting.
William said his then-wife found out about his gambling habits and asked for a divorce after realising he had gambled away all the money they could have used to improve their lives.
William married his first wife after knowing each other for half a year, but their marriage only lasted for 10 months. He married his second wife Jian Teng in 2014, but it also ended in divorce.
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After opening up about dealing with his gambling addiction in a LinkedIn post about a year ago, he has since picked himself up by returning to his previous position in the Sheriff's department.
He also married his third wife Hannah last year and shared that they are trying for a baby.
Despite his interest in pursuing entertainment projects, William said stability is crucial for him now.
"There's nothing wrong with having a steady job after fame. I think it's the right thing to do, to provide for my family now," he added.