Howard Stern Accused Kelly Ripa of Destroying “Live” Co-Host Regis Philbin’s Spirit By Kicking Him Out of His Own Show Before His Tragic Death
Over the years working, Kelly Ripa has surely become a well-known face on TV. She is most popularly known for being a host on the Live show. This talk show in particular has experienced various changes in host throughout the years. But Ripa has never left her position as the host of the show since she joined as a co-host back in 2001.
And she has undoubtedly gained a lot of fans, however, her popularity has not stopped her from gaining enemies and people who have openly criticized her. Former co-host Michael Strahan also came out with allegations of being treated like a sidekick to Ripa while he worked on the show. Not only him, even the exit of the late Regis Philbin from the show is speculated to be due to her. Therefore, although it is not visible on the screen, it does not mean that co-hosts will also get along off-screen in the same way.
Kelly Ripa Suspected of Causing the Late Regis Philbin’s Exit From his Talk Show
Back in 1983, the late Regis Philbin was the first-ever host of The Morning Show (now called Live). He finally left the show in 2011 after working on it for around three decades. His long-time co-host Kelly Ripa became his successor and is the one taking the show forward.
Although the pair worked together for around 10 years, according to Ripa, they were hardly the same backstage. She even shared with The New York Times once that Philbin had a strict rule to have no conversations behind the scene. Therefore, although they made perfect co-hosts, the two did not get along as nicely. But his departure from the show made some people question Ripa’s attitude towards the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire host. Howard Stern once addressed this on SiriusXM Radio to his guest, Jimmy Kimmel. Stern shared that he suspected a foul play between the two co-hosts. And further questioned saying,
“Don’t you think that they should have Regis on that show once a year at least?”
This came from the fact that Philbin was the one who started the whole show. And to just be gone, never to make an appearance on the show again, felt suspicious to Stern.
More About the ABC Talk Show and Its Hosts
One of the most popular morning talk show in New York City, Live has witnessed different hosts. When the show came out in 1983, it was called The Morning Show. And it all began with the late Regis Philbin as the main host. The first co-host had been Kathie Lee, whose appearance made the show get back to higher ratings. And after her exit from the show in 2005, Philbin was joined by a new co-host, Kelly Ripa. They worked together for 10 years on the show. But ultimately, about a decade before his death, Philbin was let go from the show. And since then Ripa has been handling the host position. As for her co-hosts following Philbin, former NBA player Michael Strahan was made host. However, Strahan was also let go from the show. And currently, Ryan Seacrest is working as a co-host on the show.
Source: USA Today
