American Idol icon William Hung now has LA government job 22 years after viral fame
More than 20 years on from his unforgettable American Idol audition, William Hung has traded being the 'She Bangs' guy for an unexpected role in government.
It's an audition that has firmly cemented itself a place in TV history, and while Simon Cowell branded the 2004 performance 'grotesque', it launched Hung, now 43, to viral fame.
But in a surprising turn of events, his off-key rendition of the Ricky Martin song has landed him a pretty serious job in the Government of Los Angeles, 22 years on.
The star now works as a data analyst for the Los Angeles County Aging & Disabilities Department, after working for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department throughout 2025.
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And Hung is now married to Hannah Du, his third wife. But before their 2023 nuptials, he was married to Jian Teng.
Speaking with People magazine, he admitted that his relationship broke down as a result of his gambling addiction, which developed when he became a professional poker player.
"With all of the money I could have used to improve our life, gone? I'll give you a hint: It ended with her asking for a divorce," the 43-year-old admitted.
As per his Linkedin, the star now develops dashboards, carries out data analysis, and ensures regulatory compliance for programs supporting more than 100,000 vulnerable residents each year - a world away from the hilarious performance that made him famous.
Hung admitted that in the years after finding fame on American Idol, TV appearances were no longer paying the bills.
Writing in an essay for Our Life Logs, he explained: "Over time, the hype died down. As fewer opportunities came in, I decided to go back to school and finish my degree.
"After that, I willingly hung up my entertainment hat and put on a new one: crime analyst in the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department."
Hung was just 21 when he auditioned for the show, when Cowell asked him: "You can’t sing, you can’t dance, so what do you want me to say?"
The future star responded: "I gave my best so I have no regrets at all."
He moved to Los Angeles at just 11 years old, after growing up in Hong Kong.
During the audition, Hung noted that his parents were big fans of karaoke, but that they wouldn’t have been too happy to hear he was missing classes at school to try out for the iconic talent show.
Topics: American Idol, Celebrity
Mia Williams