Clay Aiken had a burgeoning music career in the early 2000s after appearing in the second season of American Idol. Though a fan favorite, Ruben Studdard ultimately bested him in the season finale. Although he didn’t win Idol, Clay put out his debut album, Measure of a Man, just a few months later. He stayed busy for quite some time until a moment on Live with Regis and Kelly in 2006 changed things, and not in a good way. Clay Aiken famously put his hand over Kelly Ripa’s mouth to stop her from talking, creating an awkward moment that would follow him for decades. He recently opened up about the incident on the June 24, 2026, episode of the Hollywood Raw podcast.
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Clay Aiken Called the Incident Part of the Most ‘Catastrophic’ Week of His Life
Clay Aiken told Hollywood Raw that his intention was innocent and just to be playful. He admitted to feeling a “little bit bad,” but had no idea how far it would go with Kelly. The following week, when Regis returned, Kelly addressed the situation.
“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. And I don’t think that he was respectful in any way,” Kelly Ripa said per the New York Post. “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.”
According to Clay Aiken, things got worse when Rosie O’Donnell unintentionally outed him on The View.
“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. Eventually, Clay Aiken’s publicist found video of Kelly putting her hand over Regis’ mouth, and it kind of all blew over.
“She apologized for it becoming blown out of proportion and everything,” he said. “She said, ‘I’d love to come back on the show anytime, etcetera, etcetera.’ But I do know we tried, and we were not allowed. So I just haven’t tried since. It’s not a big deal. I mean, I honestly have not spoken about it until right now.”
Clay said he hasn’t spoken to Kelly since.
This story’s featured image is by R Mickshaw/American Idol 2008/Getty Images for Fox
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