Rosie O'Donnell Accused of 'Outing' Clay Aiken on 'The View' as Singer Reflects on 'Most Catastrophic Week' of His Life: 'I Died Inside'
Clay Aiken recently reflected on being inadvertently outed by Rosie O'Donnell in 2006.
Sept. 21 2026, Published 7:45 p.m. ET
Clay Aiken has reflected on what he calls "the most catastrophic week" of his life, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
According to the singer, it all started during an appearance on Live with Regis and Kelly. At one point in the show, Aiken jokingly put his hand over Kelly Ripa's mouth, and her response quickly gained attention from viewers.
Rosie O'Donnell Labels Kelly Ripa Quip 'Homophobic'
O'Donnell's defense of Aiken came after his appearance on 'Live with Regis and Kelly.'
"I don't know where that hand's been, honey," she commented at the time.
Rosie O'Donnell went on to try to defend Aiken on The View, labeling Ripa's comment "homophobic." Ripa called into the show to deny this, prompting O'Donnell to elaborate.
"From where I sit as a g-- person in the world, I have to tell you, that’s how it came off to me," she told the TV personality. On Page Six Radio, the American Idol runner-up discussed the ordeal, making it clear that he didn't appreciate O'Donnell's take.
"I didn’t realize that Rosie O’Donnell defended you so fiercely," host Evan Real said, prompting Aiken to set the record straight.
Clay Aiken Claims Rosie O'Donnell 'Outed' Him
Aiken learned he'd been outed from his longtime friend, Jaymes Foster.
"You say defended, I say outed," he clarified. Real apologized for the misunderstanding.
“I died inside a lot that week," Aiken noted before recalling the moment he learned he'd been outed.
His longtime friend Jaymes Foster woke him up with the phone call, telling him, "You need to wake up because Rosie just outed you on The View."
Clay Aiken Says Rosie O'Donnell 'Did Mean Well'
The singer says he knows O'Donnell's heart was in the right place when she accidentally outed him.
"I woke up. I was freaked out," he remembered.
Aiken says that while the situation was not easy to face at the time, he doesn't hold it against O'Donnell and knows her heart was in the right place.
"I don’t have any ill feelings against Rosie. She did mean well,” he shared. "Her words were, I think, chosen in the heat of, like, 'Why the hell is this girl on live TV with me right now?’ And so she was caught off guard."
Clay Aiken Comes Out
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Aiken came out as gay in 2008.
Aiken came out as gay in 2008, posing for a People magazine cover alongside his newborn son.
"It was the first decision I made as a father," Aiken shared with the outlet at the time. "I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things. I wasn’t raised that way, and I’m not going to raise a child to do that."
