Rosie O'Donnell Blasts Kelly Ripa For 'Homophobic Comment'

[matcom]

<snip>

CLEVELAND -- Rosie O'Donnell, co-host of "The View," said Tuesday she was offended as a homosexual after Kelly Ripa made a comment about not knowing where Clay Aiken's hand had been during a recent show.

The comment stemmed from an incident on the "Regis and Kelly" show while Aiken was guest co-hosting. During the show, Aiken put his hand over Ripa's mouth while she was conducting an interview with the winners of "Dancing With The Stars."

O'Donnell said she didn't believe that Ripa would have responded in the same manner if the visiting co-host had been someone considered heterosexual, such as Mario Lopez or a "straight man or a cute man."

When Aiken put his hand over Ripa's mouth, she said "that's a no-no. I don't know where that hand has been, honey."

http://www.wftv.com/entertainment/10378556/detail.html

[Love Bug]

1. He had just gotten done high-fiving the audience

Who knows what germs he picked up? Sorry, I'm with Kelly on this one. And Rosie -- not nice to 'out' the man.

[Coventina]

2. LOL!! Rosie just called Clay an ugly troll!

"A straight man or a cute man"

:rofl:

[Left Is Write]

30. That's what I was thinking. Were those her exact words?

'Cause isn't she implying - if not outright saying - Clay is not cute? And isn't that rude of her?

[Swede]

3. Rosie's wrong on this one.

I wouldn't want someone sticking thier hand on my mouth either.

[cwydro]

5. Me either.

yeck.

[Orrex]

6. I agree completely, and I'm no big fan of Ripa either.

In the excerpt I heard, Ripa explicitly stated that she found Aiken's action disrespectful and frankly inappropriate. It's also belittling, petty, and childish, but that's my view and not Ripa's.

O'Donnell has a lot of practice and bursting into calculated indignation over a wide range of perceived affronts. I admire her guts when she's confronting Right-wing assholes, but she nonetheless comes off as pushy and annoying more than anything else.

[elocs]

24. Kelly is a little hypocritical in not wanting somebody's hand on her mouth.

I just saw where she did it twice to Regis last February. If it is the worrying about germs then you will certainly find many on little kids like she has. Too much to-do is made about little and inconsequential things though.

[Shakespeare]

26. That is COMPLETELY different.

She and Regis have a close, warm working relationship; she doesn't know Aiken, and his behavior was out of line. If your spouse comes up and hugs you from behind, isn't that quite a bit different than a stranger doing that to you?

I don't think she was worried about germs so much as she was offended by the inappropriate touching (I think her line about not knowing where his hand had been was an attempt to make light for the audience while still letting him know not to do that again).

[Left Is Write]

28. Completely agree with you.

[elocs]

34. Her explanation was hand with germs put on somebody else's mouth.

During flu season it works the same for everyone, close, related, or whatever. Rationalize it however you like.

[Shakespeare]

35. I'm not rationalizing anything. n/t

[elocs]

36. When Kelly said it was about germs, to claim it is ok for Regis to do it,

but not Clay, that would seem to be rationalizing. Nobody "knows" where anybody else's hands have been other than their own and that goes for Kelly's children also. Had she not made a big deal over it, none of us would be talking about now.

[cwydro]

4. So is he officially outed now?

I mean it's not a homophobic comment if he's not gay right?

[Orrex]

8. Not true!

I mean it's not a homophobic comment if he's not gay right?

If I insult someone by using a derogatory anti-gay label, then my comment can be taken as homophobic regardless of the person at whom it's directed.

[cwydro]

11. Yes, you're right

I phrased that poorly. However, what I meant is that Rosie seems to be saying that he IS gay....though I understand he is rather coy about the subject.

[Orrex]

12. Ah, I see!

If she outed him that way, that would be decidedly uncool.

But gay or straight, I still don't care for his music...

[caty]

7. I'm all for someone

standing up for gay rights, but Rosie has read homophobia into something that has nothing to do with whether someone is gay or not--or homophobic or not. What Clay A. did was rude, degrading to Kelly Rippa, and thoughtless. Kelly took the high road by not mentioning the incident again on this mornings show.
This is cold season and with all the bacteria we hear about being on our hands, door handles, and other surfaces, I don't blame Kelly for her feelings on this.

[peekaloo]

9. Not to defend the Clayster but who knows where Kelly Ripa's mouth has been?

:P

[Deja Q]

20. On Regis?

:rofl:


(eh, the Regis show on ABC, that is... don't leave the subject line open to too much interpretation... :spray: )

[ChoralScholar]

41. That's a heterophobic comment, and I am OFFENDED! :)

[yvr girl]

10. Don't we know where most mens' hands have been

Gay or straight.

[Little Wing]

13. That's a statement which is very open to interpretation

"where your hands have been" is common for parents to use to their kids to get them to wash their hands before a meal.

I think Rosie's just reading into things a bit much

[Momgonepostal]

14. I don't know what exactly she was thinking, but...

I think putting a hand over someone else's mouth is a bit much. It's not a gay issue, it's a personal space issue. In my mind, the sexuality of the people involved is totally irrelevant.

[hopein08]

15. I'm with Kelly Ripa on this one...

I can totally understand where she was coming from. Especially if he had just been high-fiving the audience. Maybe she saw him sneezing and cough backstage.

And, maybe it is just me, but watching "Dancing With The Stars" I kept having the recurring thought that Mario Lopez was by far the most likely gay man on the show. In other words, far from "considered heterosexual" in my humble opinion.

And, perhaps has this been asked, but Clay Aiken has never said his sexual preferences, has he?

[cmkramer]

21. Actually he has

He's said he's straight several times, but the gay gossip sites IBilly Masters, Perez Hilton, etc. keep making up bogus stories. A lot of it is based on information they've dug up on gay hookup sites that they insist are his. The fact that the information on these sites get his height, age, political affiliation, etc. wrong doesn't seem to deter them.

Incidentally, if you saw THE VIEW, what Rosie said was that if he were cute and if he were straight, Kelly wouldn't have minded. That would imply she thinks he's neither cute nor straight. However, she's described Clay as cute a few times so it's pretty apparent she didn't mean to imply those were her sentiments. She was saying that Kelly might have felt that way. FWIW, Rosie's always spoken highly about him and she says they've become friends.

Barbara Walters said this morning that Rosie spoke to both Clay and Kelly and that things are fine. She didn't elaborate though.

[Rabrrrrrr]

16. Rosie is a loudmouthed irrelevant fat bitch

and should learn to just shut up.

[idgiehkt]

23. ouch.

I rather like her, and I especially enjoyed her single-handedly kicking Sean Hannity AND Elizabeth Hasselbeck's ass on the View when she guested on there last summer. She can argue a point like no other, and still manage to crack jokes along the way. I love her fierceness and her quick wit, and I also like the fact that she is such a strong advocate for children and adoption.


Kelly Ripa, as far as I can tell, has far less redeeming qualities.

[Zomby Woof]

17. As always, O'Donnell is full of shit

Looking for homophobia where it doesn't exist. Kind of like a perverse form of sexual McCarthyism.

[Left Is Write]

31. Quite right. Why are people looking to infuse this statement...

with all kinds of meanings that aren't inherent to it?

[Maddy McCall]

32. I never thought of it that way...

but you are right.

Some people look for any excuse to be offended.

This has NOTHING to do with homophobia. If he had done to me what he did to Kelly, he'd have found himself on the floor in fetal position.

No one invades my personal space without my consent.

[LynneSin]

18. Did Rosie just out Clay Aikens?

As far as I know, Aikens has not revealled his sexual preference.

As for Kelly Ripa, I would feel just as irritated with someone (other than my own mother) putting their hand over my mouth. This is Cold & Flu season and Kelly has kids so I know she doesn't want to get sick

[Deja Q]

19. Why should Kelly care where it's been? Oh, Kelly likes Clay.

She called him "Honey". Oooooh. Love honey? :evilgrin:

In short, the article is open for entertainment. And it's about entertainers - who needs a zoo when a television set is far more convenient. And not as smelly.

[bleedingheart]

22. Personally I think it is very rude to put your hand over someone's mouth

...but that is me...

[Left Is Write]

29. But it's not JUST you!

I agree with you.

[Ariana Celeste]

25. I don't care who you are,

or who you fuck. DO NOT put your hands on my face, let alone on my body, unless I *know* you. I don't know if you are sick, or been around sick people, or if you have washed your hands after using the bathroom. I don't like Kelly Ripa at all, but I'm not going to judge her as homophobic for not liking someone's hand on her face.

[Left Is Write]

27. To be clear, she didn't just pop out with "that's a no-no."

Seeing the look on her face, he asked if it was a no-no, and she answered.

[Shakespeare]

33. And he was a sarcastic little shit when he said it, too.

I'd have a hard time deciding whether to rip his fucking hand off, or just smack him across the face after he popped off with that.

[Deja Q]

37. Aren't you mixing Rosie up with the Justin Timberlake/Janet Jackson wardrobe incident?

:yoiks:

[Left Is Write]

38. You mean...

the choice of colorful words such as "pop out"?

:P

[Generator]

39. Du's resident housewife

saw the opening. I watch the opening of that show sometimes, I enjoy the banter between Ripa and the old dude. But who cares about me..anywhoo I didn't see the later part of the show as I said I only watch the first few minutes. So as in everything in life, context. The putting his hands over her mouth was just the big nail in the coffin. He was snippy, quasi rude and just gave off the vibe he don't like him no Ripa. He was making jokes about how lame and stupid she was! Jeez oh mighty-he was on her show-he was co-hosting, and open hostility to your co-workers is fine, but on TV, the world notices.

Fake it.That's what showbiz is about. Hell even us houswives do that. We even hide the open hostility (occasionally) and try not to cover the husband's mouth during company.
}(

[Whoa_Nelly]

40. Rosie is homodefensive, or more aptly put, she has...

Catagelophobia- Fear of being ridiculed.

http://phobialist.com/index.html#A-


Rosie sometimes has a HUGH!!!?! chip on her shoulder!