Clay Aiken has revisited the awkward on-air moment with Kelly Ripa that sparked one of daytime TV’s most memorable feuds, saying the backlash made the week feel like “the most catastrophic week” of his life.
The former American Idol runner-up reflected on the 2006 incident during a June 24, 2026 appearance on the Hollywood Raw podcast, nearly 20 years after he covered Ripa’s mouth during Live with Regis and Kelly while guest co-hosting alongside her.
At the time, Aiken was filling in for Regis Philbin and said he had been trying to make himself useful in the interview segment while also auditioning, in effect, for a possible TV hosting role. He said his frustration came from feeling like he was not being given enough room to speak, even though cue cards with his name had been prepared.
“Listen, I didn’t have the problem,” he said. “I’m not the one who was upset!”
He later added, “We’re talking about something that happened 20 years ago, which became this huge blow up. That was the most catastrophic week of my life to be honest with you.”
Aiken said he and Ripa have crossed paths at industry events over the years, but neither ever really revisited the issue directly. “Maybe I should feel bad, but I have not got up and said something myself, but she hasn’t either,” he said.
He also said the tension escalated quickly in the studio and that he immediately worried he had upset Ripa for real.
“I wasn’t getting to talk,” Aiken claimed. “There were cue cards, they had my name on them. I tried to be funny, I did what I did, which was incredibly innocent.”
When Philbin returned to the show the following Monday, Ripa made clear she was unhappy with what had happened. “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,” she said.
The situation ballooned further after Rosie O’Donnell called Ripa’s reaction “homophobic” on The View. Ripa then phoned into the program to push back, insisting the comment was about personal space and germs, not sexuality.
“I have three kids. He’s shaking hands with everybody in the audience,” Ripa said.
“I mean, it’s cold and flu season. That’s what I meant. To imply that it’s anything homophobic is outrageous, Rosie, and you know better. You should be more responsible.”
In later years, O’Donnell said she believed she was defending Aiken at a time when rumors about his sexuality were already swirling, though Aiken himself had not publicly come out at the time of the incident. The moment became one of the most talked-about talk-show controversies of the 2000s.
Aiken later said he sent Ripa flowers after joking about the controversy at the American Music Awards, and that she eventually apologized for how much the situation had spiraled. According to Aiken, she also told him he was welcome back on the show whenever he wanted, though that never happened.
Although the feud has lingered in pop-culture memory for two decades, Aiken’s comments suggest the two never truly repaired their relationship. These days, he has been focusing more on music again, including new material after a long gap from original releases.