This Is William Hung's Biggest Failure In Life

William Hung rose to fame on American Idol in 2004 when his unique rendition of Ricky Martin's "She Bangs" went viral. According to Life&Style, Simon Cowell stopped Hung mid-performance and said, "You can't sing, you can't dance. So, what do you want me to say?" Hung replied, "I already gave my best and I have no regrets at all," winning over fans all over the world and receiving a record deal. And while many viewers may believe this audition was one of his life's biggest failures, it's not.

Speaking to The Slant in 2018, Hung revealed his biggest failure is actually that he never turned his talent as an entertainer into a career. "I didn't see how my entertainment career could be a business. I had the whole notoriety and sudden stardom and all that stuff. I didn't leverage it in a way — like a business. And I wish I'd done that sooner," Hung shared. "Some people ask me, do I have an agent, do I have a manager?... I wish I had that sooner."

After achieving the often unattainable "15 minutes of fame," Hung eventually realized that people didn't love him for his talent, they loved him because he was an inspiration. "This gave me the idea for how I can do much more than entertaining people," he writes on his website. "I can actually inspire people to discover and leverage their talent. I can help people choose happiness in their daily lives." And this is exactly when he realized he could turn his talent into a career.

Today, Hung works as an inspirational keynote speaker, helping businesses and people around the United States turn their failures into success. He's delivered two talks for TEDx, as well as multiple other talks for different organizations and companies. The viral star has also written a memoir titled Champion By Choice, describing how he learned to define his own version of success and why you should, too (via William Hung).