Clay Aiken Reflects on Being Outed Publicly

Clay Aiken recently shared a challenging moment in his life on Page Six Radio. The singer, now 47, recalled being outed by Rosie O’Donnell during a 2006 episode of “The View”. The incident, which involved a disagreement with Kelly Ripa, became public after O’Donnell’s comments.

Aiken described the week as emotionally difficult. His son’s mother alerted him to the situation, telling him, “You need to wake up because Rosie just outed you on ‘The View.'” The outing occurred after Aiken placed his hand over Ripa’s mouth while co-hosting “Live with Regis and Kelly”. Ripa’s response, “I don’t know where that hand’s been, honey,” was labeled “homophobic” by O’Donnell.

Discussing the incident on “The View”, O’Donnell defended Aiken, stating, “From where I sit as a gay person in the world, I have to tell you, that’s how it came off to me.” Aiken was in Los Angeles at the time and recalled having no hard feelings towards O’Donnell. He believed her intentions were good in the heat of the moment.

Ripa defended her stance, explaining her remark was due to Aiken shaking hands with the audience during cold and flu season, not as a homophobic comment. Aiken later acknowledged Tori Spelling’s efforts to help ease tensions by calling her “gracious”.

Though O’Donnell’s comments led to rumors, Aiken officially confirmed his sexuality two years later. In September 2008, he appeared on the cover of People magazine, stating, “Yes, I’m Gay.” He expressed this was a decision as a father to be honest with his son, born via in vitro fertilization with friend Jaymes Foster.

Aiken gained fame as the runner-up in Season 2 of “American Idol” in 2003, finishing behind Ruben Studdard. Reflecting on the show’s early days, Aiken noted that none of the contestants, including Kelly Clarkson, realized its impact at the time.