Clay Aiken is looking back on his memorable appearance on Live with Regis and Kelly nearly 20 years later.
“We’re talking about something in what [2006]? Twenty years ago this year, which became this huge blowup,” Aiken, 47, shared on the Wednesday, June 24, episode of the “Hollywood Raw” podcast. “That was probably the most catastrophic week of my life, to be honest with you.”
For those who may not recall the unforgettable moment, Aiken had an awkward exchange with Kelly Ripa when he placed his hand over her mouth to keep her from talking during an interview.
The talk show host later called out Aiken for his “hostility” and “impropriety.”
Headlines followed, and The View later chose to cover the exchange with then-cohost Rosie O’Donnell calling Ripa’s behavior “homophobic.” (Ripa denied the claims when she called into the show.)
“I was not out at the time. I was to Rosie. I was out to people who I knew, but I wasn’t publicly out about it,” Aiken said in his latest interview with podcast host Dax Holt. “I was not out to my grandparents and the people in my family. And not only does Rosie call it a homophobic remark — which I think she accidentally said, and then she tried to walk it back a little bit — but then Kelly calls in live to The View that day and they get in an argument over it.”
Aiken maintains that his decision to put his hand over Ripa’s mouth for a moment was “incredibly innocent.”
“I’m on the show because I wanted to show them I could handle this myself; I could host something and I wasn’t getting to talk,” he said. “Like, there were cue cards. They had my name on them. So I tried to be funny.”
Aiken had the opportunity to poke fun at the exchange with Tori Spelling at the American Music Awards. The former American Idol contestant also sent flowers to Ripa, 55, to smooth things over.
In his podcast interview, Aiken claimed she later called him to express gratitude.
“She apologized for it becoming blown out of proportion and everything,” he recalled. “She said, ‘Come back on the show anytime.’”
While things are by no means dramatic between the pair, the “Invisible” singer said they haven’t exactly brought it up recently.
“We’ve been in a few places at the same time — show openings or whatnot — and maybe I should feel bad that I have not gone up and said something myself,” he joked. “But she hasn’t either.”
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