“It’s a one-hour show and they’re there to see The Rock”: Kelly Ripa Reveals One Invaluable Lesson From Late Co-Host Regis Philbin Despite Their Ugly Behind the Scenes Fights
No one is better at sharing life’s ‘dark secrets than the 52-year-old talk show host Kelly Ripa, as evidenced by her first appearance on Live! and her revelation that her daughter witnessed her and her husband Mark Andrew Consuelos having s*x. But there are some flawed tales she’s never shared, such as her early Live! struggles and her complex, occasionally challenging relationship with her late colleague, Regis Francis Xavier Philbin.
She was candid in People’s cover story of 2022 about the challenging relationship she had with Philbin, her co-host on the late morning show. She admitted the same in her book Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories. They shared hosting duties for Live With Regis and Kelly from 2001 to 2021.
Her 26-year of marriage to actor Consuelos and raising their three children while working for 22 years at Live! helped her establish herself as one of the most likable and successful women on television today.
According to the author, her collection of vignettes about her life “is meant to be a thrill ride, a little bit of a rollercoaster, a little laughter.”
How was Kelly Ripa’s first encounter with late co-host Regis Philbin?
Kelly Ripa claimed that when she first started writing Live Wire, she thought it would be a lighthearted trip down memory lane that she could do while donning white jeans, a t-shirt, and bare feet. But recalling the past wasn’t always simple, particularly when it came to Regis Philbin and their early days spent working at Live! She claimed, “That was the hardest chapter to write.” She did not want to appear judgmental or disrespectful to anyone.
According to the author, who was co-starring in All My Children at the time, getting the morning show gig after Kathie Lee Gifford left Philbin’s show in 2001 was like “getting shot out of a cannon.” She received a call from her agent with the offer and was told, “They want you to know who your boss is.”
She mentioned that she may have been snarky to him at first, but she added a new dimension of appeal to Philbin’s sourpuss charm. There were both good and bad days, added Ripa. “I thought I’d grown on him. I think I did.” During their off-stage time together, she went on to cherish some particularly happy memories with him.
What lesson did Kelly Ripa learn from her late co-host?
Regis Philbin retired in 2011. But the wounds he left behind were reopened when, in 2017, he claimed that Kelly Ripa had been “very offended” after he left the show; and that she had never contacted him again. He appeared on the show’s Halloween episode in 2015, as Ripa notes, adding that “the show had reached out many times. It makes me sad but it’s not something I will ever understand.”
Mark Consuelos’ wife still viewed Philbin as “the world’s best storyteller” two years after his death at the age of 88 and gave him credit for paving the way for her. She stated that she would be content if she could improve by a tenth. “It’s taking the audience on a ride with you and remembering that you are always the butt of the joke.”
She used to observe Philbin and learned lessons that helped her grow to become the show’s anchor and motivator. first working with former NFL player Michael Strahan, whose abrupt departure in 2016 from Good Morning America caused even more resentment. She explained, “I talk about things I’m insecure about briefly and I move on. It’s a one-hour show and they’re there to see The Rock.”
At present, the American actor is co-hosting with Ryan Seacrest, who is more formal. Like Philbin, she always prioritizes her audience and keeps them in mind.
And so she concluded her last chapter ending on a content and hopeful note.
Source- Live Wire by Kelly Ripa and PEOPLE cover story
