Dedicated Claymates allergic to sleaze should probably avoid their televisions at 9 p.m. Friday, when "Clay Aiken: The E! True Hollywood Story" has its premiere.
Instead of an interview with Aiken, or even "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell, E! boasts that the special will include an interview with John Paulus.
Paulus, you might remember, is the ex-soldier who told the National Enquirer in 2006 that he had a sexual rendezvous with Aiken in a Garner hotel room.
I interviewed Paulus not long after his allegations came out, although I never wrote a story about it for the paper.
The other day, I listened to the recording of that interview for the first time. I'll spare you the details — trust me, you don't want to know them — but it will be interesting (for me, at least) to see if Paulus shares a similar, albeit PG-rated version, with E!.

Matt Ehlers has worked for The N&O since 2002. As a general-assignment reporter, he writes about a variety of topics.
Comments
Suggestion
Sat, 12/13/2008 - 12:48 — dauntless2Clay has repeatedly pleaded that his fans not defend him. He reiterated that just last week at the Broadway Cares Q & A asking them once again to just ignore anything negative about him in the media. He does not want YOU to be here commenting so why are YOU doing it? If he has anything to say in response to the E! program, Clay has the freedom to do so. No one should ever be forced to discuss the details of their private sex life. Clay has come out to the public, he is trying to raise his little boy and move on with his life. What he does or has done with consenting partners is none of anyone's business. It is time for everyone involved to put this in the past. It should have never been our business in the first place.
This is a season for hope and renewal. Let that be the message and stop dwelling on the past. Happy holidays everyone!
Lies Used to Get Rich
Sat, 12/13/2008 - 05:14 — KNMClay can boink whomever or whatever he wants... and I have no doubt he has....but he needs to read the word of God and realize he's off track with the God he CLAIMS to worship. Aiken went above and beyond what was necessary to preserve his privacy...he proactively cultivated an image of a straight male in order to make himself rich all the while laughing at his deluded fans who chose to take him at his word. Watch and see how this baby drama plays out. Talk about fabrication...his little fake nuclear family is just a smoke screen. Have to feel great sadness for the baby who was deliberately brought into the world into a ready made fractured family. As far as Paulus recanting his story about his affair with Aiken...maybe he thought that would get the crazy Claymates off his case. He thought wrong. There is still a core group of koolaid guzzling Claymates who think that Mr. Aiken can do no wrong. Nothing he does, short of murder (and then maybe not even that )will cause them to open their eyes to his many deceptions and character flaws. Applaud the guy's efforts to help the world's children ,ok,but accept that he is a messed up individual who does not mind taking advantage of others' gullibility. More and more fans are realizing that he cannot be trusted. As long as they realize that, they can just enjoy the talent without having to buy into the false sainthood crap.
Paulus confessed that he was hired
Fri, 12/12/2008 - 16:15 — Irinahttp://chexxxy411.blogspot.com/
Story suggestion for Matt
Fri, 12/12/2008 - 13:25 — rasmussenI'm really serious, here. This guy that is being given legitimacy on E is ABSOLUTELY a stalker. Whether or not any portion of his initial story is true or not is immaterial at this point. True or false, he has engaged in over 2 1/2 years of actively stalking Clay Aiken, trying to ruin his career, stalking the FANS, including posting their pictures, calling them and harassing them at home (several attempted to file complaints, but got nowhere), etc. He has sent Aiken's mother flowers, has shown up at concerts (as someone noted) has bragged about moving within 5 minutes of Aiken's house, etc. He cleaned up his internet profile after he was interviewed for E, but there are a number of people who have saved evidence of his almost three years of blogging and sociopathic behavior.
SO, here is the story....that a star's stalker is being given a national platform and legitimacy. How and why is this possible? Why is it that Letterman's stalker, or Jodie Foster's stalker, or any number of other star-stalkers are dealt with one way, but Clay Aiken's stalker is treated as somehow legitimate? The story here is two-fold..the stalking itself (and if you put out a request for info I guarantee that there are plenty of screencaps and stories and such out there to prove it) and the role of the press in their differential treatment of Aiken. Why? Homophobia? The "not cool" factor? What? I guarantee that if you do a story like that you might get some national recognition for it.
Again, I'm completely serious.
Get over it, KNM, the man
Fri, 12/12/2008 - 01:40 — IrinaGet over it, KNM, the man was in the closet. All gays tell those kind of fibs to keep their privacy. Go thump your self righteous Bible someplace else.
E True Hollywood Story Clay Aiken
Fri, 12/12/2008 - 00:37 — KNMI don't necessarily believe Paulus' story about his tryst with Clay Aiken but I have learned that you cannot believe anything that comes out of Clay Aiken's mouth either. For over five years he has misled the public and his fans about who and what he is. ..trying to paint himself as a devoted Christian while this whole time he was not attending church but instead flitting from one sleazy hookup to another. At least he finally took off the WWJD bracelet. Unfortunately, he now is hiding behind that precious baby of his and still lying about the business arrangement surrounding the boy's conception. My only concern is that this show will not reveal enough of the deceptions of Mr. Aiken.
WHO DIED & MADE YOU GOD???
Fri, 12/12/2008 - 05:54 — psfClay still self-identifies as a "born-again Christian" & from my observations over the years, he has never wavered from his love of the Lord & his dedication to helping others & being as kind as possible to everyone. He has certainly perfected turning the other cheek to haters & malcontents like you. How on earth do you claim to know anything about his personal relationships, when he goes to church (as if that really means anything regarding one's spirituality), or his & Jaymes' love of & care for their child? You choose to think the worst & post hateful, slanderous garbage.... WWJD, indeed. Look in the mirror before you judge anyone else.
I'm looking forward to the
Thu, 12/11/2008 - 22:52 — dauntless2I'm looking forward to the E! True Hollywood story.
DITTO
Fri, 12/12/2008 - 00:24 — psfAt least it will be somewhat interesting to see how low the closeted, bearding Seacrest & his cohorts can sink. Matt, did you know that Paulus in the past has put fake posts on his blog as well as on Perez Hilton's claiming to be you? Apparently, you saw a lot of sleazy gay shenanigans while travelling with Clay in 2005, or at least that's what the Faux Matt said. LOL!
I doubt there will be anyone
Thu, 12/11/2008 - 22:16 — IrinaI doubt there will be anyone that knows Clay. One is a stalker, another tried to sue Clay but lost, another makes a living making fun of celebrities, another one is a tabloid reporter, and on and on. It will be a hatchet job like no other.
E!True Hollywood Story
Thu, 12/11/2008 - 22:08 — DivaFanI thrilled to see that we'll actually get to hear some truth about Clay Aiken instead of all the crap we've been fed the last 5 years. Allow people to see what he's really like. Obviously Mr. Paulus is the only one who's been telling the truth for the last 3 years. From what I've seen, Mr. Aiken and the truth have never met.
Good for E!
What truth? That Clay is gay
Thu, 12/11/2008 - 22:30 — rogerWhat truth? That Clay is gay and he had sex. Big whoop!! I've heard Paulus's story and if true and not saying it is, but if it is, then Clay went on the date from hell. Paulus is certifiable and most definitely a stalker. There's your truth.
THE STALKER FROM HELL
Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:51 — psfPaulus' first version of the story said that Clay was 5'8" with small hands & no body hair. Clay is 6'2", has huge appendages, & is very hairy. I could list a hundred other things Paulus changed in his story over the months as he became aware of the holes he'd dug, but why bore you? He outted himself to the Army to get out of being deployed & brags about it. Some of his platoon have publicly stated that he was a well-known liar, manipulator & jerk. His own sister said he'd been obsessed with Clay since AI2 & his computer was full of pictures of the singer. Even Perez Hilton has called him a loony & banned him from his website. Not to mention the National Enquirer editor who called him a "habitual liar" (but they still published his story). He had the gall to go to a concert in Cary last year at which he claimed Clay sang directly to him from the stage & that Clay had texted him to sit up front with the Parker/Aiken family. Clay's security surrounded him at the show & Clay's usual greeting of fans at the buses afterwards was cancelled due to threats from the freak. Paulus once posted photos of Clay's mom's home & church with addresses & urged people to picket her. He also sent subscriptions of gay magazines to her. He still has nude photos of himself posted at gay men's hookup sites where he advertises himself as the man who brought Clay Aiken down (& went down on him). So now Ryan Seacrest & the soulless slugs at E! have finally given this arrogant sociopath what he craved all along - national TV exposure - & since these THS docus repeat ad infinitum, he's forever linked to the object of his delusions. 3 years later, JP, you got your mainstream forum, congrats. And a bored public turns the channel. Let us pray this doesn't provoke the psycho to try his hand at physical harm to Clay, his son or other loved ones.
Matt, I would think you
Thu, 12/11/2008 - 21:56 — lovemusicMatt,
I would think you would have been smarter than to believe a word from this psychopaths mouth. Nothing he has said has been the truth. He is a liar and a stalker. He wasn't even a Green Beret, so he pulled that one on you too.
Did you ever ask him who paid him to make up this lie? That would have been a real good question to ask him.
Knowing you are tuning in to watch the garbage that will be shown tomorrow night only shows the kind of person you really are. You should be proud. Maybe you can continue to listen to the liars interview on those cold nights.
Whatever happened to the person you used to be?
Whoa...
Fri, 12/12/2008 - 06:15 — psfI think you're misunderstanding Matt. Doesn't the fact that he never published the interview & didn't even ever listen to the recording till now tell you something? It sounds like he questioned the veracity of the whole sordid mess & found Paulus nothing but an opportunist who enjoyed spewing sleaze in the most graphic terms. Every time Paulus repeated his fan fiction, it got raunchier until he finally blogged a second by second account of the entire bogus rendezvous. As if anyone could remember even their best sexual experience in such minute detail the next day, much less months later as he claimed. I think Matt knows a horse's rectum when he sees one.
You were taken in by a loony
Thu, 12/11/2008 - 21:38 — IrinaYou were taken in by a loony stalker, Matt. He has blogged about it everyday for 3 years. Today he brags about how he has cost Clay his singing career. All from a guy that Clay never met and thanks to you he's going to get more of the attention he craves. Has it not occurred to you that he is a nutcase and you are feeding the stalker at the expense of a decent guy's reputation? What the hell happened to journalistic integrity? Is it all lost in favor of cheap sleazy sensationalism? I'd have to say it is.
Paulus and E! True Hollywood Story
Thu, 12/11/2008 - 21:37 — Caitlin2008yeah we know all about his ever changing story of a one night stand he supposedly had with Clay, he changes his story like i change my socks, and then he backtracks and says it never happened. I dunno what he told you but it was most likely one of the hundreds of versions he has told over the past couple of years. I just hope nobody believes that crap!
E True Hollywood Story
Thu, 12/11/2008 - 21:32 — lsdollyYes, they could have interviewed, people who know him, worked with him, family members..you know people who might have something insightful to say...There's Diane Sawyer, Neil Sedaka, Faye Parker, David Foster, Jaymes Foster, Kipper, Mike Nichols, Tyra Banks, Quiana Parlor, Diane Bubel, Jimmy Kimmel, or even Clay himself. Instead the list of guests is like a Who's Who of bottom feeders. I won't be watching.
Paulus and E! True Hollywood Story
Thu, 12/11/2008 - 21:18 — DianeRobertsonBased on what he said on Howard Stern, he had a one night stand with Aiken (if it's even true) and then got dumped. Why is he still talking about it? How long ago was that? I think it's lucky Aiken doesn't have a pet rabbit.
Isn't there anybody who actually knows him they could have interviewed?
FOX NEWS ALERT: SINGLE GAY MAN HAS SEX!
Fri, 12/12/2008 - 00:09 — psfIt's sure a slow news day when that's your headline. Due to his freakish behavior & obvious mental deficiencies, I don't believe Paulus' story for a minute. But IF he ever met Clay, & that's a huge IF, it's no wonder Clay ran the other way & never spoke to him again. Paulus is clearly psychotic. For a while he had a video blog on YouTube that was nothing more than the ramblings of a madman. He spoke about Clay as if they were best buddies & he was an expert on everything about the singer's life. On his written blog, he often stated facts about incidents in Clay's life as if he were there, yet his "story" claims that they only spent 90 minutes together. Mr. Bizarro! As for interviewing people who actually KNOW Clay, the only one E! offers up is Rickey Smith from AI2. Apparently, Rickey never got the memo to run far away from this crap. I suspect Clay's people let his actual family, friends & co-workers know not to answer Ryan's calls about this show. They tried to solicite interviews from fans & permission to use fan videos of concerts but were met with stoney silence because Paulus had already been bragging that he had been interviewed. Of course, he presented it as if the show was all about himself, the failed porno star wannabe.