"We are in a very different time," said the "American Idol" veteran, who unveiled his first studio album in 12 years this fall.

"Back then it was a big deal," he says, noting that ticket sales for Broadway's 'Spamalot' — which he was starring in at the time — dropped, and the show closed a few months later.

A lot of people who come out now end up having boosts in popularity because of it… That’s mind-blowing to me because it’s the opposite of what happened when I came out,” Aiken explained further. “But it means that there’s progress and it means that as a country,

Clay Aiken reflects to PEOPLE on his coming out story, how it affected his fanbase and how times have changed since. The 'American Idol' alum came out on the cover of PEOPLE in September 2008.

In a new interview with People to discuss his newly released holiday album Christmas Bells Are Ringing, the American Idol alum claimed he lost “50 percent” of his fanbase after publicly sharing that he was gay in a 2008 cover story for the outlet. Aiken, now 46, opened up about how times have changed in the 16 years since.