Ripa Rips Rosie For Calling Her Homophobic

This one is too delicious, folks, and definitely requires drinking vessels to be placed at a safe distance (hat tip to our friend Steve Malzberg). As reported by TMZ on Monday, country singer Clay Aiken was sitting in for Regis Philbin on Friday’s “Live with Regis and Kelly.” At one point, Aiken tried to “hush” co-host Kelly Ripa by putting his hand over her mouth. Ripa wasn’t pleased, and said, “Oh that's a no-no... I don't know where your hands have been.” (Video here)

Well, TMZ is reporting that on Monday’s “The View,” Rosie O’Donnell took exception with what Ripa did, claiming that it was a homophobic remark given Aiken’s presumed sexual orientation (Video here): “Rosie suggested that if Aiken had been a ‘straight guy, a cute guy’ or, for instance, Mario Lopez, Ripa wouldn't have made the same remark.”

Ripa wasn’t pleased: “Ripa was incensed enough to call into the show immediately, firing back that Rosie's accusation was ‘outrageous’ and ‘irresponsible’ and that Ripa made the remark last Friday because it was 'cold and flu season' and that Aiken had shaken the hands of the studio audience. Rosie wasn't buying it, and in acknowledging that she admires Ripa, said that ‘from where I sit’ as an openly gay woman, Ripa's response was homophobic.”

I don't know about you folks, but I've used that "I don't know where your hand has been" line for decades. Pretty common joke. For a comedian like Rosie O'Donnell to make an issue out of this is the height of hypocrisy.