Singer Clay Aiken has recalled how Rosie O'Donnell inadvertently outed him on live television during a broadcast of The View in November 2006. The 41-year-old artist described the period as the most catastrophic week of his life following back-to-back uncomfortable moments across two separate morning talk shows.
Aiken, who rose to prominence after finishing in second place on season two of American Idol in 2003, reflected on the nearly two-decade-old events during an appearance on Page Six Radio on Thursday. Speaking with host Evan Real, the singer revisited the intense media storm generated by his consecutive television appearances.
The controversy began during an episode of Live with Regis and Kelly, where Aiken was guest cohosting alongside Kelly Ripa while regular host Regis Philbin was away. Philbin later died at the age of 88 in 2020. During the broadcast, Aiken playfully placed his hand over Ripa's mouth to prevent her from speaking while she was interviewing a guest, a moment he insisted was intended as an "incredibly innocent" prank.
Controversy on Live with Regis and Kelly
Ripa reacted immediately on air to the gesture, telling Aiken, "I don't know where that hand's been, honey." Although Aiken meant the move in good fun, Ripa later expressed strong disapproval of the physical interaction during the interview.
Following the broadcast, Ripa publicly addressed the incident, calling the gesture "not respectful." Speaking to People magazine a week after the episode aired, Ripa elaborated on her reaction to the guest cohost's actions.
"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," Ripa told People at the time. "And I don't think that he was respectful in any way. If that upsets his fans, I'm sorry to hear that, but you don't put your hands over somebody's face and mouth when they're conducting an interview, even if it's for a laugh. And that's all I'm gonna say."
On-Air Clash on The View
The situation escalated further when the exchange became the focal point of a heated debate on rival talk show The View, where Rosie O'Donnell was serving as a cohost. Aiken recalled that he was asleep in bed when his friend Jaymes Foster contacted him to break the news about what was happening on live television. Foster is a longtime close friend of Aiken, and the pair later welcomed a son together in 2008.
Aiken remembered Foster telling him to wake up immediately because O'Donnell had just outed him on The View. "You need to wake up because Rosie just outed you on The View," he recalled her telling him. "I woke up. I was freaked out."
On The View, O'Donnell had brought up Ripa's on-air comment about Aiken's hand and characterized the remark as "homophobic." Moments later, Ripa called into the live broadcast of The View to vehemently reject O'Donnell's accusation.
Defending her original comment, Ripa explained on air that her reaction was prompted entirely by health concerns. "I have three kids. He's shaking hands with everybody in the audience. I mean, it's cold and flu season. That's what I meant," Ripa told O'Donnell. "To imply that it's anything homophobic is outrageous, Rosie, and you know better. You should be more responsible."
Accidental Outing and Radio Discussion
At the time of the television dispute in November 2006, Aiken was not publicly out regarding his sexuality. While he had come out privately to friends and acquaintances, including O'Donnell, he had not disclosed his sexuality to his family or his grandparents.
Aiken explained that O'Donnell's defense of him effectively exposed his sexual orientation to the national public. "Not only did she out me, but they had a big argument about whether I was gay and who talked about me being gay," Aiken said on the podcast.
During the Page Six Radio interview, host Evan Real remarked to Aiken that he had not realized O'Donnell defended him so fiercely. Aiken corrected the host, saying, "You say defended, I say outed." After Real apologized for lacking the full context of the situation, Aiken added, "I died inside a lot that week."
Aftermath and American Music Awards Prank
Despite the distress caused by the broadcast, Aiken emphasized that he holds no lingering resentment toward O'Donnell. He acknowledged that O'Donnell had good intentions and was caught off guard during the unexpected live phone-in. "I don't have any ill feelings against Rosie. She did mean well," Aiken said. "Her words were, I think, chosen in the heat of like, 'Why the hell is this girl on live TV with me right now?' And so she was caught off guard." Aiken noted that O'Donnell accidentally made the remark and tried to walk it back a little bit.
Aiken confirmed he remains friends with O'Donnell. In contrast, Aiken revealed that he has not spoken to Ripa since November 2006, despite crossing paths with her on several occasions over the years. Daily Mail reached out to representatives for O'Donnell for comment, but has yet to hear back.
On the evening of the television dispute in 2006, Aiken attended the American Music Awards to introduce a musical performance by John Mayer. Backstage, actress Tori Spelling, whom Aiken described as "gracious," suggested they use humor to address the ongoing media frenzy surrounding the mouth-covering incident. When Aiken stepped onstage to list Mayer's career achievements, Spelling playfully placed her hand over Aiken's mouth and quipped, "And I'll tell you where that hand's been later."
Aiken remained out of the public eye regarding his sexuality for nearly two more years following the 2006 talk show controversy. He officially came out publicly in September 2008 through a cover story in People magazine.
