Rosie O’Donnell Calls Kelly Ripa ‘Mean’ over Their ‘Weird Feud’ in an Upcoming Book

Former "The View" co-host Rosie O’Donnell lashed out at fellow television personality, Kelly Ripa, for the latter’s alleged homophobic remark against Clay Aiken.

This "weird feud" was uncovered in the highly anticipated book, "Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of The View."

Rosie O’Donnell at Metrograph on January 23, 2019 in New York City | Photo: Getty Images

"Not only do I feel the twenty-years-older mother thing, I feel the twenty-years-old younger-gay thing."

The feud flared up after O’Donnell commented on Ripa’s remark after Aiken put his hand over her mouth while co-hosting on "Live With Regis and Kelly" in November 2006.

Ripa said at the time:

“I don’t know where that’s been, honey!”

Kelly Ripa at Hollywood and Highland on February 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California | Photo: Getty Images

The next day, O’Donnell commented on "The View," saying:

“If that was a straight man, if that was a cute man, if that was a guy that she didn’t question his sexuality, she would’ve said a different thing.”

SHE HELD A CRYING AIKEN

In the book, written by Ramin Setoodeh, O’Donnell explained why she thought Ripa’s remark was homophobic. She said Aiken was a guest on "The View" a few days before he went on "Live With Regis and Kelly."

“He had come into my dressing room, crying about whether or not to come out," O’Donnell said. "And I sat down with him, and I talked to him."

She added: "He was inching his way out in the way, so many born-again Southern Christians have to. I hugged him. Not only do I feel the twenty-years-older mother thing, I feel the twenty-years-old younger-gay thing. So I had just held a crying boy and then watched him be gay bashed by Kelly Ripa.”

Ripa responded by saying that claims she was homophobic were “downright outrageous.”

FEUD WITH HER CO-HOST

It’s not the first time O’Donnell had a feud with someone. When she was still a co-host on "The View," she had a heated on-air argument with co-host Elizabeth Hasselbeck over the Iraq war.

The argument led to O-Donnell leaving the show directly. She and Hasselbeck are reportedly still at odds to this day.

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