37 Facts About Ruben Studdard

Ruben Studdard was born on September 12,1978 and is an American singer and actor.

In 2013, Ruben Studdard appeared as a contestant on the fifteenth season of weight-loss competition show The Biggest Loser.

Ruben Studdard later signed to Verve Records and collaborated with the label's chairman, David Foster, on Studdard's sixth studio album, Unconditional Love, in 2014.

Ruben Studdard was born in Frankfurt, West Germany, to American parents, while his father was stationed there with the US Army, and grew up in Birmingham, Alabama.

Ruben Studdard continued singing gospel in church, performing solos as a child while his mother sang in the local choir.

Ruben Studdard won the contest over runner-up Clay Aiken by only 134,000 votes out of 24,000,000 cast in the May 2003 finale, becoming the second American Idol winner.

Ruben Studdard released his first single, a cover of Westlife's "Flying Without Wings", produced by The Underdogs and Babyface.

In March 2004, Ruben Studdard won the NAACP Outstanding New Artist award.

Ruben Studdard released the gospel album I Need an Angel on November 23,2004.

In March 2005, Ruben Studdard filed a lawsuit against his godfather and business advisor Ronald Edwards.

On June 15,2006, Ruben Studdard was awarded $500,000 for personal losses and another $1.5 million in punitive damages.

Between his second and third albums, Ruben Studdard began a diet and fitness program to deal with his weight, out of concern for a family history of diabetes and hypertension, resulting in his losing over 70 pounds on a vegetarian diet.

Ruben Studdard made guest appearances on TV shows including Life on a Stick, 8 Simple Rules, One on One, All of Us and Eve.

Ruben Studdard appeared on the finale of American Idol season 6 in May 2007.

Ruben Studdard spent a few weeks touring with Robin Givens in the comedy-drama Heaven I Need a Hug and prepared to take on the role of Fats Waller in a national tour of Ain't Misbehavin' in 2008.

In December 2007, Ruben Studdard had been dropped from his record company, J Records, due to poor sales of The Return and "[falling] short of expectations".

Ruben Studdard remained under contract with 19 Recordings and was assigned the high-profile position of performing the American Idol season 7 farewell song, a recording of Kenny Loggins' "Celebrate Me Home", in a new version produced by Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam.

Ruben Studdard performed "Celebrate Me Home" live on May 20,2008, at the Nokia Theatre for the first night of the two-night grand finale of American Idol's seventh season.

In 2008, Ruben Studdard collaborated with gospel singer Deitrick Haddon and duo Mary Mary on the hit gospel song "Love Him As I Do".

Ruben Studdard announced that his next album, to be released May 19,2009, would be released on Sony Music offshoot Hickory Records.

Ruben Studdard appeared with the "David Foster and Friends" ten-city tour beginning October 21,2009, in Chicago, Illinois, and ending November 8,2009, in Vancouver, Canada.

Ruben Studdard returned to the American Idol stage on March 31,2010, to perform "Don't Make 'Em Like U No More".

Ruben Studdard joined the cast of the fifteenth season of the NBC weight loss competition show The Biggest Loser, and was credited as its first-ever celebrity contestant.

At 6'3 and 462 pounds, Ruben Studdard had the highest starting weight and BMI of the entire cast.

However, because opposing coach Jillian Michaels had given her team caffeine pills in violation of the rules, Ruben Studdard's elimination was voided and he returned before being eliminated during the competition's eighth week.

Ruben Studdard credited the weight loss for improving his ability to perform onstage.

Ruben Studdard supported the release of Unconditional Love with the national Born Again Tour with his collaborator Lalah Hathaway.

Ruben Studdard continues to appear regularly on American Idol, including mentoring and performing with contestants in its farewell season on Fox.

Ruben Studdard released a new single, "Can't Nobody Love You", on April 8,2016, and appeared on several talk shows to promote the song.

Ruben Studdard has worked as an actor in several roles, including single-episode appearances on the television series 8 Simple Rules, Life on a Stick, All of Us, Eve, and One on One, as well as a cameo appearance in the film Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.

Ruben Studdard has appeared in a television commercial for a Birmingham-area Kia dealer.

Ruben Studdard signed on as an official spokesperson for "Be Sickle Smart", a nationwide grassroots health-education program aimed at increasing awareness of iron overload among people living with sickle-cell disease.

Ruben Studdard met Surata Zuri McCants in October 2006, when he was signing CDs at a Walmart in Atlanta.

On June 28,2008, Ruben Studdard married McCants in a short, private ceremony in Mountain Brook, Alabama.

On November 16,2011, Ruben Studdard's attorney announced that Ruben Studdard was in the process of a divorce.

Ruben Studdard is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia fraternity.

In 2022, Ruben Studdard taught a masterclass for performing arts majors at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.