Kelly Ripa complaining about singer Clay Aiken covering her mouth on TV: "Regardless of whatever the sexual orientation is, it was outrageous, it was out of line, it was unprofessional, and he wouldn't have done it to you because there is respect there." (End Video)
Gretchen Carlson: "Maybe he should do it to Rosie O'Donnell. You know what? This really just upsets me. Just stay out of everyone else's business, Rosie. I mean, for goodness sake, Kelly Ripa is the host of this show. Clay Aiken made a mistake in putting his hand over her mouth. You just don't do that to the host of a show when you are a guest and by the way, according to Kelly Ripa, he did not even say thank you for being the co-host of her show that day. I don't think Kelly Ripa should get any blame for what she said. She says 'look, it's cold and flu season, when I said I don't know where that hand's been,' she did not mean-"
Gretchen Carlson, who made it clear she is no fan of Rosie, went on to exclaim that she is by default "outing" Clay Aiken who has not, to this point, wanted to publicly disclose his sexual orientation.
Carlson: "Yeah did, did not have anything to do with his sexuality. First of all, Clay Aiken has not come out and said whether or not he's straight, or gay, or whatever. So for Rosie O'Donnell take it that step further, she's basically outing him."
Meanwhile, on the other side of Sixth Avenue, Meredith Vieira, Today co-host and Rosie O’Donnell’s predecessor on The View, weighed in after NBC replayed the relevant clips of Kelly, Rosie, and then Aiken having his mouth covered jokingly on last night's American Music Awards:
Vieira: "You know what? I was on The View and I don’t think Kelly is homophobic at all."
The entire transcript from Fox and Friends is below.
Brian Kilmeade: "On a much, much lighter note, stuff that is in, in the TV world a big deal, but probably just a point of interest for you. It happened on Friday originally. Kelly Ripa was, had the guy that was runner up in American Idol, Clay Aiken on as a co-host."
Steve Doocy: "Dancing With the Stars."
Kilmeade: "Danc- Clay Aiken?"
Doocy: "Oh I thought you were talking about Emmitt Smith."
Kilmeade: "Clay Aiken. I was just setting it up."
Doocy: "Sorry."
Kilmeade: "He was talking with the 'Stars' star, Emmitt Smith who also had a job, I think with the Cowboys, running the ball? So they were talking. Evidently, Kelly Ripa, according to Clay Aiken, thought she was talking too much so he playfully covered her mouth."
Gretchen Carlson: "Yeah."
Kilmeade: "On Monday, Kelly was ranting about how he should never do that, I don't know where his hand's been. That statement got under Rosie O'Donnell's skin."
Doocy: "Yeah she said that, Rosie said on The View that she felt that that comment was homophobic. All calling into question Clay Aiken and his sexual orientation, which we don't really care about I don't know why she brought it up. Anyway Kelly--"
Carlson: "Well, he hasn't even said what his sexual orientation is."
Doocy: "That's exactly right. So Kelly Ripa, who works on an ABC produced show, called 'The View,' which is another ABC show, and ripped into Rosie. Listen to this."
(Begin Video)
Kelly Ripa: "Regardless of whatever the sexual orientation is, it was outrageous, it was out of line, it was unprofessional and he wouldn't have done it to you because there is respect there."
(End Video)
Carlson: "Maybe he should do it to Rosie O'Donnell. You know what? This really just upsets me. Just stay out of everyone else's business, Rosie. I mean, for goodness sake, Kelly Ripa is the host of this show. Clay Aiken made a mistake in putting his hand over her mouth. You just don't do that to the host of a show when you are a guest and by the way, according to Kelly Ripa, he did not even say thank you for being the co-host of her show that day. I don't think Kelly Ripa should get any blame for what she said. She says 'look, it's cold and flu season, when I said I don't know where that hand's been,' she did not mean-"
Kilmeade: "Because he shook everybody's hands in the audience."
Carlson: "Yeah did, did not have anything to do with his sexuality. First of all, Clay Aiken has not come out and said whether or not he's straight, or gay, or whatever. So for Rosie O'Donnell take it that step further, she's basically outing him."
Kilmeade: "Yeah well, she said, in fact, Kelly Ripa went on to say, 'not everything is homophobic. You have to be more responsible.' She said it to Rosie O'Donnell, so she went on to rip back at her. Because Rosie O'Donnell, any, any time there is an issue which the word lesbian or, or homosexual is involved she feels she as though she's got to take a stand."
