NASHVILLE- Since being crowned winner on "American Idol" in 2006, Taylor Hicks has cemented his status as a beloved entertainer. From sold-out shows and a successful Las Vegas residency to television hosting and Broadway appearances, the Birmingham, Alabama-native has remained steadfastly grounded. He credits his humbleness to two things: his blue-collar roots and faith.

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In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, the 49-year-old — who was dubbed the "Soul Patrol" leader during his run on the singing competition show 20 years ago — spoke about how his hometown has helped him navigate Hollywood's ups and downs and shared what makes him happiest these days.

"[Birmingham] is a blue-collar town. You know, I think it would be kind of like growing up in Pittsburgh or something," said Hicks. "So, you know, Boston, which I love to go there and perform because I got a pretty big constituency in blue-collar towns. I think it's a testament to the people that live there, the hard work, my family ... I had a really, really good, hardworking base of Birmingham folks that I love, and I still get to see."

"My faith [makes me the happiest]," he said. "I'm really happy that you know I can be in the business that I will always love to be in. Over the years, the arc of my career, I am going on 20-something years in show business plus, and I am very, very fortunate to be able to be in the business I love, and I don't go to work every day. I love what I do and am just very blessed."

CARRIE UNDERWOOD WARNS HOLLYWOOD IS A 'SELF-SERVING BUSINESS,' CREDITS FAITH FOR KEEPING HER GROUNDED

Before his "Idol" run, Hicks — who released his latest single "The Mirror" last month — often performed at local bars and clubs throughout the Southeast. When he auditioned for the show at 29 years old, however, the musician had no idea what was in store for him.

"It's been a whirlwind since my win in show business," he recently told People. "I mean, I'm coming up on almost 23 or 24 years in show business, and I wouldn't trade it for the world."

WATCH: Taylor Hicks credits faith and blue-collar Birmingham roots for keeping him grounded after 'American Idol' win

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"I mean, ['American Idol'] was the greatest platform," he continued. "The dream that I had when I was a little boy, in making it and being an entertainer, was realized on 'American Idol' and [with] that win," he says. "And I'm very nostalgic about going back on the show and seeing everybody."

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"I went from playing to 50 people in my little bar called the Oasis in Birmingham to touring Southeast Asia in seven months," he added. "So that's the kind of impact that 'Idol' made for me at that time."

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Looking back on his season, Hicks admits he had it easier than the contestants today.

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"Luckily for me, 'American Idol' was the only game in town," Hicks told Fox News Digital. "I think the last talent show that was on television was 'Star Search.' And once 'Idol' became so successful, I think 'America's Got Talent,' 'So You Think You Can Dance.' There's all these entities that kind of popped up that you really have to compete for now. So I think it is tougher for contestants on shows like that, because they're kind of spreading the love."

Regardless, Hicks could not be more grateful for where his time on the show led him.

"The first thing that I would tell myself right when I won 'American Idol' is enjoy the wave as much as you can because in this business, sooner or later, it's going to crash, and you've got to catch another one."

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Dungeon Masters who subscribe to D&D Beyond just got a whole new category of content that they can share with their players.

D&D Beyond Updates Beyond Drops Sharing Rules

After years of very slow progress on its offerings, D&D Beyond has made some major road map progress in the first half of 2026. In addition to offering Dungeons and Dragons players some major improvements to the Maps virtual tabletop, the service also started offering subscribers additional content in the form of Beyond Drops.

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Beyond Drops offers Dungeons and Dragons players who subscribe to the service frequent content drops of maps, spells, magic items, and creature stat blocks. The drops include content that is useful for both players and DMs.

Although the addition was quickly a big hit with subscribers, users who don’t subscribe had some complaints about the lack of content sharing and the inability to purchase any of this content a la carte without a subscription.

The D&D Beyond team responded to those complaints fairly quickly with a promise to try and make things right. In addition to confirming that there will be at least a once a year chance to purchase the Beyond Drops content without a subscription, now there are also details on how content sharing will work going forward.

The first change is live now and has given Master Tier subscribers the power to share player options and monsters through the content sharing tool that is already available to them. Additionally, a follow up patch will arrive by Thursday, June 18 and make all D&D Beyond Drops Maps content also enabled for Master Tier content sharing.

This is a big win for the community who quickly voiced their concerns and opinions about the lack of content sharing. It also may help the D&D Beyond team gain some additional goodwill, as they have been trying to prove that they are listening more closely and making tweaks and changes at a more aggressive pace than they had for the previous years of community management and development.

As the Maps VTT continues to grow and the D&D Beyond subscription perks continue to evolve, it will be very interesting to see how the larger TTRPG community does or does not embrace D&D Beyond and how the tool fits into the complicated ecosystem that already includes some big competition with tools like Roll20 and Foundry.

Be sure to check back soon for more DM and player tools and other Dungeons and Dragons and TTRPG news and updates.

Dungeons and Dragons is available now digitally or physically through local game shops.

The post Dungeons and Dragons – DDB Makes Big Change to Content Sharing appeared first on VICE.

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