Ryan Seacrest and judges share thoughts on ‘American Idol’ Season 25
American Idol host Ryan Seacrest and judges Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan weigh in on the possibility of Season 25.
Clay Aiken said what he thought was an “incredibly innocent” joke with Kelly Ripa turned into a “big blowout” in what he called one of the worst weeks of his life.
The “American Idol” alum reflected on the viral moment from 2006 in an interview on the Hollywood Raw podcast on Wednesday, June 24. The singer was promoting his new single “Rewind”, his first in 18 years.
Aiken, who was filling in for Regis Philbin with Ripa on Live with Regis & Kelly, put her hand over Ripa’s mouth while she was interviewing Dancing with the Stars winners Cheryl Burke and Emmitt Smith, joking that she didn’t get a chance to speak.
Ripa seemed uncomfortable with the gesture and replied, “I don’t know where that hand was, honey.”
“I couldn’t talk,” Aiken recalled. “They had a cue card with my name on it. I tried to be funny and did what I did, but it was incredibly innocent. And it got a little cold in the room. I didn’t feel good and I was worried I’d upset her.”
At the time, Aiken said he was in negotiations with Buena Vista Television, the show’s syndicated distributor, to host his show.
“I went on the show because I wanted to show that I can handle it, that I can host something,” he said.
But the ensuing controversy turned into “probably the most harrowing week of my life.”
When Philbin returned, Ripa brought up the incident on air.
“Don’t put your hands over your face or mouth during the interview, even if it’s for a laugh,” she says.
The exchange went viral after Rosie O’Donnell called the reaction “homophobic” on “The View” and added, “If that was a straight man…Mario Lopez, he wouldn’t have said the same thing.”
Ripa then called Shaw.
“I have three children,” she said. “He’s shaking hands with everyone in the audience. I mean, it’s cold and flu season. That’s what I meant. To imply that it’s homophobic is outrageous, Rosie, and you should know better. You should be more responsible.”
Aiken, who had not come out publicly at the time, said the attention was painful, but he eventually leaned into it and poked fun at it later that week at the American Music Awards with Tori Spelling, humorously showing her putting her hand over her mouth to “take ownership back.” Aiken’s publicist also distributed a clip to the media of Ripa covering Philbin’s mouth in an earlier episode, which Aiken said was when “the tide turned.”
Aiken then sent Ripa flowers and she followed up with a phone call.
“She apologized for being blown out of proportion and everything else,” he recalled. “She said, ‘I’d love to come back to the show any time.'”
“I tried to come back on the show, but I wasn’t allowed,” he said. “So I just haven’t tried it since. It’s no big deal.”
The case eventually took on a life of its own. “I was often stopped at the airport to take pictures,” Aiken said. “They said, ‘No, no, put your hand over my mouth.’
