“He was probably trying to be funny”: Kelly Ripa Got Extremely Sensitive After Regis Philbin’s Harmless Joke, Went On to Vilify Co-Host After His Death
Kelly Ripa has worked with multiple co-hosts during her venture at ABC’s Live. Ripa joined Regis Philbin as co-host in 2001 and the duo hosted the show for a decade. Soon after the 10th anniversary of the show, the late talk show host announced his departure from the show, making the All My Children star the only host of the talk show, Live. She continued hosting the show for almost a year and was soon joined by the former NFL star, Michael Strahan. She is currently hosting the talk show with Ryan Seacrest.
While everything seemed well between hosts as they appeared on screen, that might not always be the case. And as always Ripa did not hold back when it came to sharing her experience working with her co-star, Regis Philbin.
Kelly Ripa Recalled Meeting Regis Philbin Before Their Show
Kelly Ripa has hosted Live for more than two decades. The actor who first joined the show in 2001, is currently hosting the talk show alongside Ryan Seacrest. She has always been vocal about her opinions and has even released a book following her personal and professional life.
While promoting her book, Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories, Ripa opened up about her relationship with her first Live co-host, Regis Philbin. She said that describing her first co-host in her book was the “hardest chapter” to work on.
She describes working with Philbin as “good days and bad days.” Ripa also shared her encounter with Philbin on the set of the talk show. The Live host said that she was asked not to bring an “entourage” on the set. But she came with two people for her “hair and makeup.”
“It was not an unusual thing for people on a television show to show up with,” Ripa described. She shared that Philbin greeted her moments before the show. However, while talking to the show’s producer, Michael Gelman, he said, “Uh-oh, Gelman, it’s got an entourage.” Kelly Ripa said that he might have been trying to be funny, but she did not feel the same way about it.
Kelly Ripa Claims Regis Philbin Did Not Want a Co-host
Kelly Ripa also shared the struggles she faced before joining Live as a co-host with Regis Philbin. She said, “People think I just showed up one day and was handed a job and I lived happily ever after.” She shared that she was repeatedly told that the show was not looking for a permanent co-host.
However, followed by multiple guest appearances as a co-host, she received a call from her agent saying that they had an offer for her. But there was one condition. “They want you to know who your boss is,” Ripa shared.
And after Philbin’s “entourage” joke, she was sure that Philbin probably “didn’t want a co-host.” But Kelly Ripa did not want to lose the opportunity she received. However, the co-hosts got together pretty well after they started working together. Ripa said that she still cherishes the time she spent with her first co-host.
“I loved him, and I still do,” she shared. Ripa also shared that she and Philbin had a very good relationship off-camera. They went on vacations and hosted dinners for each other. Regis Philbin joined Kelly Ripa for one last time as the Live co-host on 18 November 2011. He passed away in July 2020 after suffering a heart attack due to coronary artery disease.
Read More: What Happened to Kelly Ripa’s Son? Why Did He Leave Kelly Ripa’s $27 Million House
Source: People
