{"id":2474526,"date":"2026-06-25T01:36:47","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T01:36:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2474526"},"modified":"2026-06-25T01:36:47","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T01:36:47","slug":"clay-aiken-recalls-huge-blowup-with-kelly-ripa-20-years-later-probably-the-most-catastrophic-week-of-my-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/clay-aiken-recalls-huge-blowup-with-kelly-ripa-20-years-later-probably-the-most-catastrophic-week-of-my-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Clay Aiken recalls &#8216;huge blowup&#8217; with Kelly Ripa 20 years later: &#8216;Probably the most catastrophic week of my life&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\">Key Points<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"mb-4\">\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Clay Aiken is looking back on the &#8220;huge blowup&#8221; he had with Kelly Ripa in 2006, when he was a guest cohost on <em>Live With Regis and Kelly<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">During an interview with <em>Dancing With the Stars<\/em> winners, the singer put his hand over Ripa&#8217;s mouth so he could ask a question.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;I don&#8217;t think that he was respectful in any way,&#8221; Ripa later complained to Philbin.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The 2006 pop culture history books had <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/britney-spears\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Britney;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Britney&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Britney<\/a> and Kevin, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/brad-pitt\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Brad;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Brad&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Brad<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/angelina-jolie\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Angelina;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Angelina&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Angelina<\/a> \u2014 and Clay and Kelly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">That year, on the morning of Nov. 20, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/american-idol\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:American Idol;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;American Idol&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>American Idol<\/em><\/a>&#8216;s <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/clay-aiken\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Clay Aiken;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Clay Aiken&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Clay Aiken<\/a> subbed for Regis Philbin on <em>Live With Regis and Kelly<\/em> and found himself struggling to get a word in while interviewing <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/dancing-with-the-stars\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Dancing With the Stars;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Dancing With the Stars&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>Dancing With the Stars<\/em><\/a> champions Emmitt Smith and Cheryl Burke alongside cohost <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/kelly-ripa\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Kelly Ripa;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Kelly Ripa&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Kelly Ripa<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">What happened next would not soon be forgotten \u2014 certainly not by Aiken.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">During a recent appearance on the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Ze9PPPdcwsU&amp;t=1866s\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Hollywood Raw podcast;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Hollywood Raw podcast&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>Hollywood Raw<\/em> podcast<\/a>, Aiken recalled, &#8220;I wasn&#8217;t getting to talk, like there were cue cards [and] they had my name on them. So I tried to be funny and I did what I did, which was incredibly innocent.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><i>Clay Aiken covers Kelly Ripa&#8217;s mouth during an interview with Emmitt Smith and Cheryl Burke<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">That is, Aiken attempted to shush Ripa by playfully putting his hand over her mouth, which she didn&#8217;t find at all amusing. &#8220;Is that a no-no?&#8221; Aiken asked. &#8220;Oh, that&#8217;s a no, no, no,&#8221; Ripa replied. &#8220;I don&#8217;t know where that hand&#8217;s been, honey.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The morning host was so peeved, she brought it up the following week upon Philbin&#8217;s return.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;There was a lack of respect, and when you&#8217;re a certain person, you&#8217;re in the public eye, you have to be respectful of other people. And I don&#8217;t think that he was respectful in any way,&#8221; Ripa fumed on air. &#8220;If that upsets his fans, I&#8217;m sorry to hear that, but you don&#8217;t put your hands over somebody&#8217;s face and mouth when they&#8217;re conducting an interview, even if it&#8217;s for a laugh.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Two decades later, Aiken has opened up about his mindset in the aftermath of the &#8220;huge blowup.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;That was probably the most catastrophic week of my life, to be honest,&#8221; he said on the podcast, alluding to tabloid headlines that kept the awkward TV moment alive long past its expiration date. &#8220;She had such a big voice at that time.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Ripa&#8217;s remark about not knowing &#8220;where that hand&#8217;s been&#8221; was perceived as a cheap shot at Aiken&#8217;s rumored sexuality (two years later, he would publicly come out as gay).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">On <em>The View<\/em> at the time, Rosie O&#8217;Donnell blasted Ripa&#8217;s comment as &#8220;homophobic.&#8221; Ripa even called in to the ABC talk show to defend her choice of words, explaining that as a mother of three children she was concerned about &#8220;cold and flu season&#8221; after watching Aiken &#8220;shaking hands with everybody in the audience\u2026 That&#8217;s what I meant. To imply that it&#8217;s anything homophobic is outrageous, Rosie, and you know better. You should be more responsible.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong><em>Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our <\/em><\/strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/ew-dispatch-newsletter-11812417\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:EW Dispatch newsletter;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;EW Dispatch newsletter&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><strong><em>EW Dispatch newsletter<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In the years since, Aiken and Ripa have occasionally crossed paths, but stayed in their own lanes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Maybe I should feel bad that I have not gone up and said something myself,&#8221; Aiken acknowledged on the podcast, &#8220;but she hasn&#8217;t either.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">An source close to Ripa tells <em>Entertainment Weekly<\/em> that the talk show queen has moved on since the awkward moment with Aiken, adding, &#8220;This all happened 20 years ago, so it is rather silly to be a story now.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read the original article on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/clay-aiken-recalls-huge-blowup-with-kelly-ripa-20-years-later-12006300\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Entertainment Weekly;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Entertainment Weekly&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Entertainment Weekly<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Points Clay Aiken is looking back on the &#8220;huge blowup&#8221; he had with Kelly Ripa in 2006, when he was a guest cohost on Live With Regis and Kelly. During an interview with Dancing With the Stars winners, the singer put his hand over Ripa&#8217;s mouth so he could ask a question. &#8220;I don&#8217;t [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2474527,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25177],"tags":[357356,466485,41508,34127,486933,365916],"class_list":["post-2474526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrities","tag-cheryl-burke","tag-clay-aiken","tag-dancing-with-the-stars","tag-kelly-ripa","tag-live-with-regis-and-kelly","tag-regis-philbin"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Clay-Aiken-recalls-huge-blowup-with-Kelly-Ripa-20-years.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2474526","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2474526"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2474526\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2474528,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2474526\/revisions\/2474528"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2474527"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2474526"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2474526"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2474526"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}