Clay Aiken has been keeping quiet since his “I’m gay, but you already knew that” People magazine cover a couple months ago. And, according to Kathy Griffin, he’s being a little too quiet, especially after she tried to make nice with him (evidently he’s mad she referred to him as “Gayken” during her stand-up routine) backstage at Rosie O’Donnell’s failed variety show:
I held up one of those ghetto blasters playing one of Clay’s songs, and I begged him to take me back and he said no. And then I walked out of the room and Gloria Estefan said to me, ‘I told ya–you shouldn’t have gone in there alone.’
There were no words of thanks or even really any words at all, for that matter. I would have to say he was not very nice.
Thunderdome!
Woof
Ugh I am still trying to wash the smell off me after that awful “We both are Gay-briel Bryne fans” joke….PEEEEEE EEEWWWWWW
kelly
@Woof: Yes, wasn’t that a moment of extreme pride?
Darth Paul
Clay has a long way to go. He should start with some cardio and yoga.
Woof
@kelly: It was one of our lowest moments on TV for sure.
Tim
Kathy rules.
ChicagoJimmy
I saw Kathy when she was here doing her stand-up act. She made fun of him then too. She was hilarious.
blake
How can you blame Aiken for rejecting Griffin? She made fun of him for profit and pushed him to come out before he was ready to do so publicly.
The Gay Numbers
@blake: She tells jokes for a living. This maybe confusing, but well that means she makes fun of stuff. That’s what comedy does. Your post would make sense if one ignores what comedy does.
Sam
Hopefully Clay is investing his money wisely, ’cause he seems to have many altercations with those in the business. No one is going to put up with diva tactics forever. He’s no Streisand.
Robert
@blake:
Actually she made of fun of the fact that he was a closet case… and he just has his undies in a bunch cause she was right.
He is a walking joke, all she need do is hold up a photo and everyone would get it.
Clay should grow up… I mean would he teach his child to act this way…
Alexa
That’s weird, I read an interview with Kathy a few days ago where she was saying what a great guy he is and what a great sense of humor he has.
blake
@The Gay Numbers:
No sh@t, Sherlock, but that doesn’t mean that Aiken has to like it. Come on. This is like Joan Rivers being shocked that Elizabeth Taylor didn’t like her for making fat jokes about her. People in the majority denigrating someone in a minority for laughs should not expect a loving embrace from the target of their “humor.”
There’s a bit of hypocrisy at play here. Griffin is saying that she teased Aiken to “help” him come out of the closet. That’s B.S. He was an easy target. He fit the stereotype of gay swishiness. Aiken was low hanging fruit (pardon the pun). Everyone knew Aiken was probably gay. Right? So, why did he need to be pushed by Griffin? Aiken wasn’t running around denouncing gay people, or dating beautiful starlets trying to pretend he was straight.
Why not make fun of a masculine, “closeted” gay actor? Going after Aiken allowed Griffin to play on Aiken’s effeminate qualities, which played on the perception that gayness equals weakness.
I have no problems with comedians making fun of people but Griffin’s attempt to make herself as an ally of Aiken’s is pathetic and self-serving. Griffin portrays herself as a friend of “the gays.” However, “the gays” are a market niche for her product. McDonald’s sells Big Macs to the the masses and salads to dieters. Griffin could riff on Aiken to gays.
When Sammy Davis played Vegas with the Rat Pack. His white “friends” in the Rat Pack would make “comic” race jokes about his being black. Sammy would smile and laugh at being the “black” guy. He had to do so because he wasn’t really an equal with his friends. Were it not for Frank, Dino, and the others, Davis would not have been let in to most Vegas casinos because of segregation.
Similarly, Griffin’s schtick shows a condescending attitude towards gays. She puts gayness in a convenient stereotype package that’s good for a laugh or two that dehumanized Aiken into a joke for her economic benefit. Oh, that’s really edgy, innovative humor.
Ultimately, I’m all for comedic examination and exploration of race, gender, ethnicity, etc., but not Griffin’s kind of treacly, exploitive cynicism.
The Gay Numbers
@blake: she does comedy for a living. I didn’t read your post. It’s just babbling.
Jordan
Oh I get it…someone talks trash about you and then you’re expected to embrace them. Got it.
Shea
I guess I’m the only one who thinks this bit was part of her comedy schtick. I doubt this really happened. I mean does anyone actually believe she held up a ghetto blaster playing his music backstage at Rosie’s show? Besides, Kathy and Clay have been friends for years. She just talked about him being a fan of hers in an article last week. Also, he’s been a good sport with others like Kimmel, Leno and Conan who have joked about him.
Ivor
She was never his friend, she always talked about trying to get past Team Clay if she wanted to get near him. Nothing she ever said about their interaction is true. She uses him to get headlines and she often says things for attention and for shock value and look, it worked like a charm.
He should get his dancer boyfriend to kick her in the head next time. It would be Wicked funny.
Shea
They look to be pretty huggy and chummy in the picture above.
Ivor, come on now, be real. KG doesn’t need Clay to make headlines. She gets plenty of headlines without him. Her career is doing amazing. I love Clay and KG!!
Dot
Oh Please, Kathy Griffin is one of those that makes a living out of belittling and making fun of others. This is supposed to generate laughs? I find Griffin and those like her are of the most untalented around and the only way they can sustain a career is by bringing others down. I find her talentless and disgusting and find nothing amusing about her or her schtik.
Ivor
They look to be pretty huggy and chummy in the picture above.”
Don’t be so gullible, mate, and don’t think for a minute that she’d be noticed without using real celebrities to get headlines.
blake
@The Gay Numbers:
Up until now, I’ve respected you for your the intelligence of your comments here and on Towleroad. Can’t say that I hold that opinion any longer.
There’s a difference between Tina Fey’s lampooning Sarah Palin and Kathy Griffin’s teasing of Clay Aiken. Both Fey and Griffin made fun of public figures. But they came at it from different perspectives.
Fey was brutally funny, but she wasn’t cruel or demeaning of Palin’s woman-hood. Palin is part of the establishment. She has real power and privilege. This is the kind of humor, poking fun at the rich and powerful, that also shows a glimpse of bravery.
In contrast, Griffin exploited Aiken’s apparent weaknesses of being an effeminate gay man and his lack of perceived power to be himself, defend his true nature. Is there any bravery in Griffin’s act?
Again, look at Sammy Davis and his role as the comic relief of the Rat Pack. While Davis performed nightly with his white “friends,” he was still forced to enter the casinos where they performed through the back door (sorry about the pun). He endured second-class treatment because of the apartheid that ruled racial relationships in 1950s and 1960s America.
Until recently, Clay Aiken was the virtual Sammy Davis of Griffin’s act. Griffin could bring out the image of Aiken for amusement, savagely riffing on his gayness just as Frank Sinatra did to Sammy Davis. Laughter ensued but at the expense of the dignity and humanity of a person.
Frank Sinatra called Davis “Smokey” (get it; Davis was black; so he was burn’t; etc.). Griffin called Aiken “Gayken.” Dean Martin once asked Davis how he liked riding at the back of the bus.
Can’t you see the parallels between Sammy Davis and Clay Aiken?
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/the-afterlife-of-sammy-davis-jr-454262.html
BobP
For the most part she ridicules the hollywood untouchables, who are used to having their asses kissed, so I appreciate her for that. But I agree that she should go after the real closet cases, and those nutty scientologists.
Tim
Let’s not be too harsh on Kathy Griffin. She’s a comic, mocking ‘celebrities’ is her motif. Regardless of your opinion of her abilities (I’m a huge fan), Griffin is FAR from the only comic or human to realize that Clay Aiken was gay prior to his emergence from the closet. Quality of his music aside (I’d rather be deaf than listen), he’s been the butt of sexuality jokes ever since his arrival on ‘American Idol’.
krebz
Kathy Griffin is uglier than Andy Dick in drag, If I ever meet her in person, I *will* slap her face.
Ignore her
Griffin is a mean spirited loudmouth.. We all know it, so why do any of you even watch her. Are you also so lacking in life that your forms of amusement is belittling others?
Personally I love Clay and his music. He is fantastic in Spamalot and well revered by those on broadway. Check all he does for Unicef and other worthy cause. Hve you even listened to his Chritmas album. Personally I plan to ignore all this type of article.
Girlygirl
Yes, I am a fan of Clay. Those of you who are jealous of his success – get over it. And since when did those in the biz have to always make nicey-nice when they see each other.
People like Kathy can only make a living ragging on other people which is not necessary to be a comedian. She is a lonely, fugly person IMO.
Alexa
Claymates, didn’t you learn your lesson about defending Clay when he came out? He repeatedly asked you over the years not to go around defending him, yet you did it anyway, and it turned out he WAS gay. And you are STILL going around defending him. He’s a big boy, he can defend himself if he wants to, all you are doing is making him (and yourselves) look stupid. This is Kathy Griffin we’re talking about here, everything she does is for publicity, that’s her thing. I doubt it’s a coincidence that this interview was with E! which is about to air a True Hollywood Story on Clay, and that Kathy is one of the people interviewed on it. Free publicity, there’s nothing like it.
Yes, Clay does a lot for charity, including raising insane amounts of money for BC/EFA since he’s been on Broadway, but so does Kathy. She’s not the awful person you make her out to be, maybe instead of defending Clay you could read up on the good things that Kathy does, as you seem to be such charitable people.
And stop saying people are jealous of his success. That’s a really dumb thing to say.
roger
“he’s been the butt of sexuality jokes ever since his arrival on ‘American Idol’.”
Why is being gay considered a joke and why are gay men laughing about things like this? Gay men who continue to joke about their own and other’s sexuality do nothing to help equality or acceptance of the rights of homosexuals. You do nothing but pander to the mainstream’s notion that being gay is something to ridicule and poke fun at.
scott
@BLAKE. Nicely said.
I’m a fan of Kathy but not when she went after Clay and I couldn’t put my finger on why. And Blake and another poster diagnosed exactly why I was annoyed.
When Kathy goes after Paltrow, Whitney, and Oprah, sad to say, it’s fitting. But what’s to gain going after Clay. Why not go after Puff Daddy or Kayne. Clay is not powerful. He seems humble, nice, etc. He doesn’t seem like a good target.
blake
@Alexa:
You’re missing the point. It’s not about defending Clay; it’s about Griffin’s hypocrisy and parasitical relationship with Griffin.
Sure Griffin may do nice things but that doesn’t mean that she didn’t act dishonorably towards Clay Aiken.
Alexa
@blake:
I’m not missing the point at all. I don’t for one second believe if Kathy had said this about someone else that you, Scott, Roger, etc. would be here attacking her. If you want to bitch about her on the Clayboard, go right ahead, that’s an appropriate place to do it, but what you are doing is trolling the internet posting at sites you don’t normally go to and defending someone who is quite capable of defending himself, should he want to.
And another thing, Scott, Roger, etc., stop pretending to be men, nobody is buyng it. Giving yourself a man’s name doesn’t make your arguments seem less Claymatey, it just makes you seem even more pathetic.
roger
Alexa – pretending that you’re actually interested in anything Kathy Griffin says, doesn’t make you any less the Clay fan stalker that you are. Every we go, you follow. How pathetic is that? At least we have an investment in the guy, what’s your excuse.
Alexa
@“roger”:
I wasn’t going to post in this thread again but this is priceless. My “excuse” is that I’m a lesbian who reads and posts at Queerty all the time, this is just one of many, many posts I’ve commented on over the years. I didn’t follow you here, idiot, I was already here. I’m a big Kathy fan and, as any of the regulars who might still be reading here may remember, I’m also a Clay fan. I also respect him enough to treat him like an adult instead of like a child who needs protecting. Do you really think Clay would thank you for trolling the internet defending him? When he’s asked the fans repeatedly not to do it?
roger
Well, Alexa, I am a gay male, Clay fan who also posts at Queerty and I don’t like Kathy Griffin using a closeted (now out) gay man as an ongoing joke.
Ted
Ugh, Claymates! Doesn’t anyone here have a topical cream to get rid of them?
Gayken got his panties in a bunch when Rosie “outed” him on the View, but apparently he got over it when she PAID him to be on her show. That is all Kathy needs to do, PAY him to be on the next season of The D List and he will be her best buddy!
smiling girl
Dude, Kathy Griffin needs to lighten up! So he didn’t embrace her and declare her the light of the universe. Big freakin deal. The fact that he’s never publicly insulted her just shows that he’s classier than her.
I suppose she’s bitter that if she makes his sexual orientation the matter for her vulgar jokes, she can now, officially, be accused of homophobia. So she has to invent something to insult.