A Look Back At Kelly Ripa's Drama With American Idol Alum Clay Aiken

Kelly Ripa has had her share of feuds, though the one with "American Idol" alum Clay Aiken might come as a surprise to some. Their issues arose in November 2006 when the singer served as guest host on "Live! With Regis & Kelly." While sitting in for the usual co-host Regis Philbin, Aiken and Ripa shared an awkward moment as they interviewed "Dancing with the Stars" winner Emmitt Smith and longtime DWTS professional dancer Cheryl Burke.

As Aiken was attempting to ask them a question, he quickly placed his hand on Ripa's mouth, playfully attempting to silence her. However, Ripa did not find this funny and appeared immediately offended. "Oh, that's a no-no," she firmly stated, adding, "I don't know where that hand's been, honey." On the next episode of the show, when Philbin returned, Ripa scolded Aiken on-air, even claiming the reality show contestant was hostile toward her. "There was a lack of respect, and when you're a certain person, you're in the public eye, you have to be respectful of other people and I don't think he was respectful in any way," she told Philbin (via the New York Post). The drama spilled over into a beef with Rosie O'Donnell, who believed Ripa was being homophobic towards Aiken.

Days after Clay Aiken upset Kelly Ripa by playfully placing his hand over her mouth, Rosie O'Donnell slammed Ripa on "The View." She suggested that the "Live" host stating she didn't know where Aiken's hands had been was a dig at him having relations with another man. "That was a homophobic remark. If that was a straight man, if that was a cute man, if that was a guy that she didn't question his sexuality, she would have said a different thing," O'Donnell claimed (via ABC News). This was followed by Ripa calling in to "The View" to defend herself, leading to one of the show's many arguments that may have went too far. 

Ripa disagreed with O'Donnell and explained that her reaction to Aiken's move had nothing to do with his personal life and more about the spreading of germs. "He's shaking hands with everybody in the audience. And it's cold and flu season. That's what I meant. And to imply that it's anything homophobic is outrageous, Rosie, and you know it," Ripa fired back (via ABC News). However, O'Donnell did not accept her version of events. While Aiken was close with "The View's," former co-host, O'Donnell bashing Ripa in his defense may have done more harm than good. The "Invisible" singer had not publicly admitted to being a part of the LGBTQ community at that point, meaning that O'Donnell accidentally outed him.

Rosie O'Donell and Clay Aiken had built a bond at the time shortly before he appeared on "Live." According to the 2019 tell-all, "Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of 'The View,'" Aiken had come out to the "Wide Awake" star inside her dressing room while he was guest appearing on "The View." O'Donnell assured him that none of her co-hosts would ask him about how he identifies, though this shield was not present during the spat with Kelly Ripa.

"The truth is she outed me in a way, because I had not been out yet. When she said the words, 'If that was a straight man,' she was confirming that she knew that I wasn't. That was the worst day of my life. I don't think I'd had a moment more devastating to me. I remember feeling like sh– that day and totally defeated. But I definitely wasn't mad at her," he shared in "Ladies Who Punch" (via U.S. Weekly). It's unclear where Aiken and Ripa stand today, though the drama surrounding the infamous hand gesture certainly lingered for years.