'American Idol' Alum William Hung Opens Up About His Gambling Addiction and Divorce

Infamous American Idol contestant William Hung has opened up about hitting rock bottom years after becoming a household name for his horrendous performance on the American singing competition, RadarOnline.com has learned.

In a recent interview with People, Hung broke down the 20 years since becoming a viral sensation and discussed his battles with gambling addiction as well as how he dealt with getting a divorce from his long-time partner.

"It was all very surprising," Hung told People, referring to his reception on American Idol. "I didn't expect that. I had no expectations going in other than thinking that it was going to be fun."

"In this situation, very few people can stay on top for long," he said, referring to viral fame. "So after a little while, I thought, I don't want to waste my life, so I went back to school, finished my degree, and looked for a stable job. That was OK with me. I'd already gotten more out of American Idol than I ever could have expected."

"I quit my job three years ago and became a professional poker player," he continued. "I'd been doing it on the side for a while, and I decided maybe I was good enough to go for it. I was earning way more doing that than I was at my regular job. It was going well for a while."

"Unfortunately, I developed a gambling addiction," he explained. "I knew I was good at poker, but then I got greedy. I got into sports betting. The whole gamut. I know better [now]. I wasn't supposed to do those things, but I did it anyway. And I paid for it. I got divorced, and I learned I had to be smart about which risks I chose to take."

In a post on his LinkedIn profile about a year ago, Hung revealed that it was "time to deal with" his addiction.

"Things went downhill fast when my ex-wife found out about you," he wrote, addressing his gambling problem. "I came home from work one day, and she started asking me all these questions about why I was so nervous about every sports game and why I was always tired ... How do you think that went — 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."

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Last year, Hung married his third wife, Hannah, and returned to his job as a data analyst for the Sheriff's Department.

He's also revealed that he's hoping to start a family, telling the outlet, "It's a work in progress."