Clay Aiken is reflecting on the 20-year-old feud with Kelly Ripa that he says sparked the "most catastrophic" week of his life.During a recent appearance on the "Hollywood Raw" podcast, the former "American Idol" star looked back on the 2006 incident that unfolded while he was co-hosting "Live with Regis and Kelly." The controversy began after Aiken playfully placed his hand over Ripa's mouth during a live segment.Aiken revealed that he has not spoken to Ripa since the incident, despite crossing paths with her at several events over the past 20 years.Clay Aiken covered Kelly Ripa's mouth on-air 20 years ago.(Getty Images)"Maybe I should feel bad that I have not gone up and said something myself, but she hasn’t either.
We’re talking about something that happened … 20 years ago this year, which became this huge blowup," he said.HOWIE MANDEL CALLS OUT KELLY RIPA’S BACKHANDED COMPLIMENT IN TENSE LIVE TV MOMENT"That was the most catastrophic week of my life, to be honest with you … No one would remember but me because I was the one with the scars," Aiken added.The musician went on to describe his experience co-hosting alongside Ripa, explaining that he had hoped the appearance would showcase his ability to host on his own."I’m on the show because I wanted to show them I could handle this myself.I could host something, and I wasn’t getting to talk," he said.Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa previously hosted "Live! with Regis and Kelly." (Rob Kim/Getty Images)Aiken claimed that although there were cue cards with his name on them, he wasn't able to say his lines, and that's when he decided to put his hand over Ripa's mouth."I tried to be funny, and I did what I did, which was incredibly innocent.
And then it got a little cold in the room," he recalled.He said he immediately realized the joke had not landed after feeling the audience's reaction."Is that a no-no?" Aiken remembered asking Ripa.Tori Spelling and singer Clay Aiken made a joke about the Kelly Ripa feu...