“He had almost a superstition about it”: Kelly Ripa Hated Late Co-Host Regis Philbin’s Off-Air Behavior, Found Real Chemistry With Ryan Seacrest Instead
Kelly Ripa has been the co-host of Live! since 2001. During her tenure, she has worked with a few people however her bonding with them did not appear to be as strong as she shares with her current co-host, Ryan Seacrest. While working with Regis Philbin who was co-hosting the show for a decade and Michael Strahan, whom she worked with for four years, the departure has their different stories.
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The 52-year-old actress in an old interview opened up about working with her former co-host and how she was treated by him off the camera. It was also one of the reasons why she prefers Seacrest over other of her co-hosts.
Kelly Ripa Was Not on Good Terms With Regis Philbin
The former TV host, Regis Philbin left Live! show in 2011 who also went public with his relationship with his then-co-host. This is not just one way as Kelly Ripa also shares similar thoughts to him. In a 2017 interview with New York Times, she told that the late TV presenter “had a mandate: Absolutely no talking off-camera.”
Though his behavior was because he had a specific “superstition” about the same.
“He had almost a superstition about it. You save it for the show. I’d be like, ‘Good morning,’ and he’d say, ‘Save it for the air!'”
Things are now far good with her current co-host, Ryan Seacrest has good relations with her. She even praised him by stating that he is “the future of ABC.”
She even explained how working with Million Dollar Password host was “difficult” for her.
The Host Opens Up About Her Relationship With Regis Philbin in Her Memoir
In her memoir, Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories, Ripa opened up about her early days on the talk show, Live with Regis and Kelly, and shared how it was “the hardest chapter” for her there.
She wrote,
“It took years to earn my place there and earn things that are routinely given to the men I worked with.”
Having shared that the period for her was not a cakewalk, she also recalled an incident when the late TV presenter mocked her which made her realize that he did not want her to be his co-host. Even though the two were not on good terms, the actress did share some good moments with him.
Kelly Ripa’s Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories Book is available in stores.
Source: New York Times
