The new issue of Star magazine is set to claim that Simon Cowell and Ryan Seacrest’s spat on American Idol, in which Simon told Ryan to “come out” [of the closet], was set up ahead of time.

Contestant Melinda Doolittle told Ryan in an on-stage interview that wearing high heels and dresses was the hardest part of the competition. Ryan turned to Simon on the judge’s panel and said “Simon, any advice on the high heels?”
“You should know, Ryan,” he answered.
“Stay out of my closet,” Ryan retorted.
“Come out,” Simon said, which was followed by surprised gasps from the audience.
“This is about the top 12, ok? Not your wishes.” After a few laughs from Simon he added “We’re friends.”

Here’s the video:

Star says that nothing accidental happens on Idol and that heated exchange was definitely planned and scripted:

That infamous spat between the “American Idol” judge and show host Ryan Seacrest — in which Cowell quipped that his colleague should come out of the closet — was scripted, according to the upcoming issue of Star.
“Most of these rifts have been outlined,” an “Idol” “insider” tells the tab. “Simon and Ryan are real good friends off-camera. . . . When the show is on the road for auditions, the two go for drinks and dinner.”

“American Idol’s” top producer decides who the hit show’s resident Mr. Mean will feud with, the source claims.
“The executive producer of the show, Nigel Lythgoe, watches the rehearsals and writes notes on who Simon should make snarky comments about,” the source tells Star. “That’s what’s on the sheets of paper on the judging desk. Simon is not the evil guy you think he is. . . . The truth is Ryan is just as focused on the show’s popularity as Simon. There’s no real drama. It’s all for the cameras!”

I guess that’s not surprising, but Ryan did look visibly embarassed, although he handled it well. Ryan told Us Magazine that Simon was just being childish:

“He wouldn’t stop – he just kept going,” the ubiquitous host told Usmagazine.com’s Ken Baker during this morning’s debriefing. “I think you should do a big article on how he’s taking it down a childish path.”

When reached for comment, a spokesman for Simon offered the following statement to Usmagazine.com on his client’s behalf: “The day we start over-analyzing all the Idol banter is when we have lost our sense of humor and should consider going off the air.”

It seems like it could have been set up ahead of time as a playful exchange and that Ryan’s playing it up to get press. I’m not sure though, as he doesn’t strike me as the type who would be willing to make jokes about his orientation. He did set up that whole Teri Hatcher makeout session for the paparazzi to capture. Now that I remember it, Simon told Ryan to “lose the beard,” afterwards, a double-entendre about his new facial hair and fake relationship with Teri. That could have been pre-arranged too.