Clay Aiken Breaks Silence on Kelly Ripa Drama: “Most Catastrophic Week of My Life”

Clay Aiken joins the Hollywood Raw Podcast and finally opens up about the infamous Kelly Ripa controversy, the fallout with Rosie O’Donnell, and why he calls that week the “most catastrophic” of his life. Dax Holt sits down with Clay to revisit the American Idol fame machine, what really happened behind the scenes in Season 2, his bond with Ruben Studdard, the rumors that followed him for years, and how Idol has changed for today’s contestants. Clay also talks about meeting Beyoncé, Elton John, Oprah Winfrey, Diane Sawyer, Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, and returning to music with “Rewind,” his first single in 18 years. Watch the Hollywood Raw Podcast with Dax Holt and Adam Glyn for the celebrity stories fans have been waiting decades to hear. Hosted by entertainment news veteran Dax Holt and NYC photojournalist Adam Glyn. Follow Hollywood Raw TikTok:   / hollywoodraw   Instagram:instagram.com/hollywoodrawpod Facebook:facebook.com/HollywoodRawPodcast Twitter: twitter.com/hollywoodraw Dax Holt Insta:  / daxholt   Twitter: twitter.com/daxholt TikTok: tiktok.com/@dax_holt Adam Glyn Insta:   / adamglyn   Twitter:   / adamglyn   TikTok: tiktok.com/@adamglyn YouTube:    / adamsapplenyc   00:00 Clay Aiken Joins Hollywood Raw 02:25 How American Idol Made Clay Aiken Famous Overnight 07:03 Clay Aiken on the Music Industry After Idol 10:02 His Bond With Ruben Studdard After Season 2 11:36 Returning to American Idol With “Rewind” 13:26 Why Clay Says Today’s Idol Contestants Have It Easier 17:05 The Rumors That Followed Clay for Years 19:35 The Idol Producer Moment Clay Hesitated to Share 24:02 Famous Fans, Oprah, Elton John & Beyoncé 31:06 Clay Aiken on the Kelly Ripa Fallout 33:35 Rosie O’Donnell, The View & Being Outed on TV 35:46 How Clay Tried to Take Back the Kelly Ripa Story 37:46 “Rewind,” His First Single in 18 Years 43:04 New Album, Vegas Shows & What’s Next