Laugh Lines with Kim & Penn Holderness

American Idol, Empty Nests & Second Acts with Clay Aiken

Laugh Lines with Kim & Penn Holderness

Show Notes

Friends, the Clay Aiken came to our attic! This week on Laugh Lines, Penn and I had SO much fun sitting down with multi-platinum singer, Clay Aiken, to talk about behind-the-scenes American Idol stories, what it means to show up as your true self, and what's next!

We discuss auditioning with 80s theme songs, ADHD, Southern accents, flip phones, and what Clay is like when no one is watching. We also talk about what happens when you reach the stage of empty nesting and start asking, “Okay... now what?” Clay took time to raise his son, Parker, and now he's finding his second act by returning to something he realized he missed... performing. He is about to release his first new album in nearly two decades and y'all, his first single is a BOP. The new album comes out September 25th. And because this is Laugh Lines, I somehow end up teaching Clay about perimenopause. Never a dull moment here...

This week, we also get to the bottom of Gen Z slang with the help of Yahoo Scout (so we finally know what a situationship means). Try Yahoo Scout. #YahooPartner #YahooScout #ad We love to hear from you! Leave us a message at 323-364-3929 or write the show at [email protected]. You can also watch our podcast on YouTube.

Listen to Clay Aiken's new album Pre-order Get It Done & Have Fun

Visit Our Shop Join Our Newsletter Find us on Substack Follow us on Instagram Follow us on TikTok Follow us on Facebook

00:00 Welcome to Laugh Lines 6:51 Clay Aiken Is Here! 8:31 North Carolina Roots 21:20 Behind-the-Scenes of American Idol 36:03 What The Gen Zers Are Saying - Sponsored by Yahoo! Scout 40:20 Sexuality Obsession 49:00 Being A Dad 52:11 In The Studio 1:00:38 Rewind or Fast Forward

Laugh Lines with Kim & Penn Holderness is an evolution of The Holderness Family Podcast, which began in 2018. Kim and Penn Holderness are award-winning online content creators known for their original music, song parodies, comedy sketches, and weekly podcasts. Their videos have resulted in over three billion views and over nine million followers since 2013. Penn and Kim are also authors of the New York Times Bestselling Books, ADHD Is Awesome: A Guide To (Mostly) Thriving With ADHD and All You Can Be With ADHD. They were also winners on The Amazing Race (Season 33) on CBS.

Laugh Lines is hosted and executive produced by Kim Holderness and Penn Holderness, with original music by Penn Holderness. Laugh Lines is also written and produced by Ann Marie Taepke, and edited and produced by Sam Allen. It is hosted by Acast. Thanks for listening! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More from Laugh Lines with Kim & Penn Holderness

Oct 20, 2026

Remember when we got terrible perms, passed notes in class, and had to survive our awkward teenage years without beauty filters? (I swear kids these days don't have awkward phases and it shows.) This week on the podcast, Penn and I talk about why our kids are craving our culture and we kick off a series we are calling "Gen X Check In" with someone who defined our childhoods. Our first guest? Danica McKellar! Yes, Winnie Cooper from The Wonder Years joins us this week to talk about how she went from America's sweetheart to an actual mathematician. (Meanwhile, I was crying over 7th grade math.) She also opens up about her childhood crush, what it's really like filming Christmas movies in 100-degree heat, and a fun story from working with Dolly Parton.

Oct 13, 2026

After 11 days across the country powered by gummy bears, Penn and I are back from our "Get It Done & Have Fun" book tour. (Don't worry Nashville, we will see you soon!) We had every intention of recording a normal podcast, but after so many days on the road we thought we'd take to the bed and bring you along for the shenanigans.

Oct 6, 2026

Friends, this podcast has been months in the making. For years, Penn has come home from entire weekends with his guy friends with zero new information about their lives. His buddy's wife could be expecting a baby and Penn had no idea. ("Bryce's wife is pregnant?!") I have been concerned, but after our conversation with Richard Reeves, I’m realizing maybe I’ve been looking at male friendship all wrong.

Sep 29, 2026

Yay! Our new children’s book Get It Done & Have Fun! ADHD Hacks for Awesome Kids is out TODAY! This week to celebrate, Penn and I are sharing our favorite ways to trick ADHD brains into doing things they absolutely do not want to do. (And share your hilarious tips!)

Sep 22, 2026

Have you ever loved doing something and then forgot why you loved it in the first place? Same. This week, we’re talking with the incredibly thoughtful (and incredibly delightful) John Green about why we all need creativity in our lives and how to find our way back to the things that bring us joy.

See all episodes →