Kelly Ripa Recalls Jab from Regis Philbin before her First "Live" Show: "I Felt Horrible"
by Jessica Wang
September 26, 2022


Kelly Ripa is looking back at her complicated relationship with former co-host Regis Philbin.

The actress and TV host recounts her early days on "Live With Regis and Kelly" in her book "Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories" [out Sept. 27th]. According to Ripa, the excerpts about Philbin were "the hardest chapter to write."




Between 2001 and 2011, when she co-hosted the popular talk show with Philbin, there were "good and bad days," Ripa tells PEOPLE in a cover story published Monday. "I don't want to feel like I'm slamming anyone or that I'm being disrespectful. But I also want people to know it was not a cakewalk."

"It took years to earn my place there and earn things that are routinely given to the men I worked with," Ripa continues. "Including an office and a place to put my computer."




Following the departure of Philbin's former co-host Kathie Lee Gifford, Ripa's agent called her with an offer to co-host. By that time, she had already served as a guest co-host three times and was told repeatedly that the ABC program was not looking for someone permanent.

The offer came with a warning, according to Ripa: "They want you to know who your boss is," she says, referring to the late Philbin. "It was very ominous, and it did not feel good."




Ripa recalls an exchange with Philbin, noting that the show didn't want her "bringing an entourage." She recounts, "I came with hair and makeup. It was not an unusual thing for people on a television show to show up with." Moments before she walked onstage, Philbin greeted her and executive producer Michael Gelman with, "Uh-oh, Gelman, it's got an entourage."

"I felt horrible," Ripa shares. "He was probably trying to be funny, but at the same time it felt like a pile-on. I understand that probably he didn't want a co-host, but the network wanted me to be the co-host and I didn't think I should pass up that opportunity. I don't think it was fair to him. But it was also not fair to me."




Despite the rough times, Ripa looks back at her time with Philbin, who died in July 2020 at age 88, with fondness. "Off camera and outside of that building, it was a different thing," she says. "The handful of times we spent together, I so enjoyed. We went to the same resort once on vacation and he came to a dinner I hosted — one of the favorite nights of my life. I never laughed so hard."

"If I could become a tenth as good, I'd be happy," she says. "It's taking the audience on a ride with you and remembering that you are always the butt of the joke. I loved him, and I still do."

https://ew.com/tv/kelly-ripa-recalls-regis-philbin-jab-live-with-regis-and-kelly/

When Kathie Lee Gifford announced her departure from Live With Regis And Kathie Lee many people thought this would be the end of the show forever and the show would be cancelled and Regis Philbin would become a solo talk show host beginning his own talk show. But when the show debuted the week after Kathie Lee Gifford left as Live With Regis and with a format of various cohosts hoping to replace Kathie Lee Gifford this interesting format got the show bigger ratings and Regis was more than happy that this was a smart way for guest cohosts to try out for Kathie Lee Gifford's spot. So when Kelly Ripa started appearing in several Live With Regis episodes as a guest cohost they knew that this was the type of host Regis Philbin could become friends with easily and with her fun sassy bubbly personality made Kelly Ripa a huge winner. And so when Live With Regis And Kelly debuted with Kelly Ripa now as official cohost it not only saved the show from going belly up but made Kelly Ripa a huge mega star. Because prior to being a cohost Kelly Ripa was only known to fans from All My Children where she played the character Hayley and not only did Kelly Ripa's character Hayley marry the handsome character Mateo on All My Children Kelly herself got married to Mark Consuelos in real life and to me when I see Kelly and Mark as an awesome couple they are like Wanda and Vision from Wandavision. But since she became a household name due to Live With Regis And Kelly. Kelly Ripa's career has grown from being a sitcom star guest starring in sitcoms being in commercials and now a game show host with The Generation Gap on ABC. Why I truly think Kelly Ripa took the job as Kathie Lee Gifford's replacement was to expand her career beyond All My Children and I think Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa were besties going back to when she was on All My Children and Regis gave her the job as a token of their friendship. But When Regis Philbin retired from Live With Regis And Kelly Kelly Ripa felt very sad that her best friend had retired and she was afraid that she would lose contact with Regis Philbin forever. And when Regis Philbin died it made Kelly even more sad because Regis was the guy that got her to superstardom and without Regis Kelly Ripa feared secretly that her career would never be the same again. And that's why Kelly Ripa is now focusing on other projects like her game show and other things because she still wants to be the hit superstar
Bestie

Regis Philbin > Michael Strahan > Ryan Seacrest

Kelly Ripa Recalls Working Out of a Janitor's Closet during "Tough" Early Years at "Live!"
by Jessica Wang
March 28, 2023


Kelly Ripa has co-hosted "Live!" throughout several eras, but it was a "very tough" couple of years before she found her footing with difficult network executives.

Ripa made her "Live!" debut alongside Regis Philbin in 2001, replacing co-host Kathie Lee Gifford following a nationwide search. There were inequities compared to her male counterparts: Ripa wasn't given paid vacation time, maternity leave, a wardrobe budget, or even her own office space, she told Variety in a cover story published Tuesday.

It took more than three seasons for Ripa to negotiate a space — an empty janitor's office, no less — for herself. "It was the strangest experience I've ever had in my life," Ripa said. "I was told that I couldn't have an office. It didn't make a whole lot of sense, especially because there were empty offices that I could have easily occupied."




Ripa was told that the empty offices were reserved for executives visiting from the west coast. "It was after my fourth year, that they finally cleaned out the closet and put a desk in there for me," she recounted.

When Philbin departed, Ripa assumed she'd earned her own space, but "they said, 'Oh, no, we're saving that.'" "And I said, 'Saving it for what?'" Ripa recalled. "And they go, 'Well, for when the new guy comes.' I looked at them, and I said, 'I am the new guy,'"

She ultimately took things into her own hands. "I just moved my things. I forced my way into the office because I couldn't understand how I would still be in the janitor's closet and somebody new would come in and get the office."




"Initially, I thought this is just what happens, and they don't have to fill me in because I've only been here 10 years. I'm still the new girl. But then, when I was the more senior on-air person, it was like watching the same movie all over again," Ripa said, adding of the early years.

"It was very tough. Had I known how difficult it would have been, I don't know that I would have gone for it."




She often felt disrespected, and then there was the issue of pay inequity. Ripa was left in the dark about the departure of not one, but two former co-hosts: Philbin and Michael Strahan, who left "Live!" for "Good Morning America" in 2016.

(Following Strahan's unceremonious exit, Ripa walked off set and didn't return for several days. When she did return, she called for respect in the workplace to a supportive audience.)




It wasn't until her bosses knew that her contract would be up and realized that she could quit that she received pay equity. "I don't think they wanted to pay me. I think they had to pay me," she said.

"I was trying to walk out the door and close it behind me. And I think they really figured out rapidly that they had screwed up in a major way, and it was not a good look. I think that was really the impetus behind paying me fairly. They had no choice."

None of the bosses who ran the show in those days have remained in the news business, Ripa noted.




Though Ripa knew of current co-host Ryan Seacrest's departure for some time, it initially caused some anxiety. He'll soon be replaced with Ripa's husband, Mark Consuelos.

"Ryan and Mark were like, 'What are you nervous about? It's going to be fine,'" Ripa said. "And I said to them, 'You have to forgive me. I have a little PTSD.'"

https://ew.com/tv/kelly-ripa-janitors-closet-office-tough-years-live/