American Idol alum Justin Guarini is looking back at a “dark” period he endured after he was dropped by his label, RCA Records, in 2003.
“There have been plenty of people who’ve given up and failed and found other things,” Guarini, 48, told Fox News Digital in an interview published on Monday, November 9. “That’s really wonderful. But for me, that dark place of not wanting to get out of bed, not wanting to look at myself in the mirror, not wanting to go out and see anything, it just was a period of isolation. And it’s very easy to do when you live behind a gate in an exclusive community.”
Guarini competed on 2002’s inaugural season of hit reality singing competition, finishing in second place after Kelly Clarkson. He and Clarkson, 44, subsequently appeared in the musical romantic comedy From Justin to Kelly — by all accounts a box office flop after grossing $4.9 million on a $12 million budget.
Guarini also released his 2003 debut self-titled album, which peaked at No. 20 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart.
After being dropped by RCA, Guarini’s career stalled, with his second album, Stranger Things Have Happened, failing to chart in 2005.
In his new book, Center Stage Confidence: How to Own Your Story and Command Any Room, Guarini recalled learning about RCA’s decision to let him go during a “Weekend Update” segment on Saturday Night Live.
“I stared at the TV in shock as my entire world came crumbling down around my ears,” the singer wrote. “Every illusion of fame, fortune, and glory fell away in an instant — only to be replaced by the silence of loss. In that moment, the veil of my arrogance, my assumptions, and my entitlement were lifted away, and I saw my life for what it had become.”
He continued, “I spent months playing my sad story on repeat. I lost weight, slept more and more, and became less and less like myself, and the people who loved me started to notice and worry. I was living the ghost of the life I had always dreamed of and burning money and time in equal and absurd measure.”
Over time, Guarini changed his perspective on the situation.
“I realized that there were still people celebrating me,” he told Fox News Digital. “I realized there was still something worth celebrating in my life. And it wasn’t the vanity metrics of how many people voted for me or how many followers I would end up having or the amount of money I could make or blah, blah. It was just doing something and going back to something that I really truly loved.”
He added, “For me, that came in the form of just going back out and getting on the stage and singing for people. And I would do it at everything from gala events to state fairs to wherever.”
After a stall in his career, Guarini eventually returned to acting. He made his Broadway debut in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown in 2010 and later had roles in American Idiot, Romeo and Juliet and Wicked. Guarini also starred in several Diet Dr. Pepper commercials as mascot Lil’ Sweet starting in 2015.
Guarini said his experience with failure led him to find new opportunities.
“So there was a cascading effect,” he told the outlet. “So the bottom line was being willing to sit in that place of failure, of discontent, darkness, but continue to go and continue to just say, ‘OK, how can I continue to move through this space of discomfort, learn about myself and keep going?’ And ultimately, that led to a massive amount of growth that I don’t think would have happened had I just, you know, stayed famous.”
