Clay Aiken on Kelly Ripa Blowup: 'Huge Blowup'

Clay Aiken recently spoke about a significant on-air interaction with Kelly Ripa that occurred two decades ago. During a 2006 guest co-hosting appearance on Live with Regis and Kelly, Aiken placed his hand over Ripa's mouth when he felt he wasn't getting a chance to speak. This action led to immediate backlash from Ripa and later, co-host Regis Philbin, who deemed it disrespectful.

The situation escalated further when Rosie O'Donnell, discussing the incident on The View, characterized Ripa's reaction as potentially homophobic. Ripa then called into The View to defend her actions, attributing her concern to cold and flu season. Aiken, who was not publicly out at the time, found this televised debate particularly distressing.

Aiken explained that his appearance was intended to showcase his hosting abilities, as he was in talks for his own show. He described the hand gesture as innocent but admitted it caused a noticeable chill in the room. The public discussion on The View, especially concerning his sexuality, deeply affected him.

Following the incident, Aiken sent flowers to Ripa, and she reportedly apologized for the situation becoming overblown. Although they have crossed paths since, they have never directly discussed the fallout. Aiken noted they were not allowed to return to the show after the controversy.