Star magazine reports that despite the constant rumors that he’s gay, ‘American Idol’ finalist Clay Aiken insists otherwise. An insider says, “Finally, after weeks of wondering, a couple of the girls on the show decided to confront him and ask point-blank: ‘Are you gay, or what?’ Clay didn’t hesitate. He insisted that he is straight.” Aiken’s comments didn’t seem to convince the girls, as the insider added, “I’ve overheard things like: ‘Everyone thinks he’s gay anyway, so why doesn’t he just admit it?’” Either way, it doesn’t seem to have effected his popularity. “Gay or straight, Clay is definitely going to make it to the top three,” concludes the insider.

Despite being given the nickname of ‘Gay Clay’ by many fans, ‘American Idol’ finalist and Howdy Doody look-alike Clay Aiken was spotted holding hands with Carmen Rasmusen during their performance last night, later kissing when it was learned Carmen wasn’t in the bottom three, and came off as more than friends. Tactical or the real deal?