Clay Aiken Reflects on Challenges of Being Outed

Clay Aiken recently discussed a challenging period in his life during a Page Six Radio appearance. At 47, Aiken shared his experience of being publicly outed by Rosie O’Donnell during a ‘The View’ episode in November 2006. The event occurred after an on-air moment with Kelly Ripa on ‘Live with Regis and Kelly,’ where Aiken playfully put his hand over Ripa’s mouth, leading to an uncomfortable exchange. Ripa removed Aiken’s hand and remarked, ‘I don’t know where that hand’s been, honey.’

Aiken described the week following the incident as devastating, confessing, ‘I died inside a lot that week.’ He recalled being alerted to the situation by the mother of his child, who informed him of O’Donnell’s actions. ‘I woke up. I was freaked out.’ Aiken admitted.

During ‘The View,’ O’Donnell labeled Ripa’s comment as ‘homophobic’ while defending Aiken, expressing, ‘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 acknowledged O’Donnell’s intentions, noting, ‘She did mean well.’ Aiken clarified that O’Donnell’s words were chosen in the heat of the moment.

Ripa defended her actions, stating her issue was due to health concerns, given Aiken’s interactions with the audience during cold and flu season. Ripa argued it was ‘outrageous’ to suggest she was ‘homophobic.’

Aiken later referenced the incident while presenting at the VMA Awards with Tori Spelling. He praised her for being ‘gracious’ in helping ‘diffuse’ the situation. Although O’Donnell’s actions may have been misguided, Aiken didn’t publicly confirm his sexuality until September 2008 on the cover of People magazine alongside his newborn son.

In the People interview, Aiken asserted, ‘I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things. I wasn’t raised that way.’ His son was conceived via invitro fertilization with Jaymes Foster, a close friend and music producer.

Aiken rose to fame as a contestant on ‘American Idol’ Season 2 in 2003, finishing as runner-up to Ruben Studdard. Reflecting on the competition, Aiken remarked to People in July, ‘Nobody thought that anybody was going to… Even Kelly [Clarkson] had not had anything happen for her yet, right? Her album had not even come out when we auditioned.’