Kelly Ripa said, on air, that Clay Aiken was being disrespectful and that she did not want his hand on her mouth or face. She also said, “I don’t know where that hand’s been,” and called the moment “cold and clammy.”

What happened

The comment came after Aiken reportedly put his hand over Ripa’s mouth during a live interview in 2006, which Ripa later described as a lack of respect.

Why it resurfaced

Clay Aiken recently revisited the incident in interviews, saying the fallout was one of the hardest periods of his life and that the tension stayed with him for years.

In context

This was a TV-hosting clash, not a legal or criminal issue. The main point people remember is Ripa’s blunt reaction on live television, especially the “I don’t know where that hand’s been” line.

TL;DR: Kelly Ripa’s key remark to Clay Aiken was that she didn’t want his hand on her mouth and didn’t know where it had been.