Kelly Ripa Hijacked an Office as Regis Philbin’s ‘Live’ Wouldn’t Give Her One: “Saving it for what? I am the new guy”
Kelly Ripa, the popular TV host, and actress best known for her work on the long-running morning talk show Live with Regis and Kelly and its current repetitive Live with Kelly and Ryan. Since the late 1990s, the 52-year-old, Ripa has been a prominent figure in daytime television, winning over audiences with her charming personality and sharp humor. Apart from co-hosting Live, Ripa has also ventured into acting, making appearances in various TV shows and movies, and has been featured as a guest on several talk shows and game shows.
Host, Ripa, who joined the show in 2001 after the departure of Kathie Lee Gifford, made headlines when she revealed that she had to hijack an office in the building because the show’s producers wouldn’t give her one.
Kelly Ripa Forced To Use Janitor’s Closet
Live with Kelly Ryan star, Kelly Ripa stated that she was relegated to a janitor’s closet instead of being provided with an office by Live executives during her early years on the morning show.
Despite being a popular co-host of ABC’s Live! morning show since 2001, Ripa disclosed in a frank interview with Variety that the network did not provide her with a permanent backstage office for the first few years of her on-air career,
Ripa shares, “It was the strangest experience I’ve ever had in my life,” she continued, “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.”
Variety reported that Ripa was informed that the vacant offices were reserved for west coast executives, following which she spent three seasons without a dedicated office. It was only after negotiations that she was provided with a space, albeit one located in a janitor’s closet.
Let’s Get Physical, the actress stated, “It was after my fourth year that they finally cleaned out the closet and put a desk in there for me,” she added, “And so I was working in the janitor’s closet with a desk so that I could have a place to put things.”
Despite assuming that she would receive a proper office when the host, Regis Philbin, departed from the show in 2011, The Stand-In star was once again denied the privilege, this time in favor of her male co-host who was joining the show,
“They said, ‘Oh, no, we’re saving that.’ And I said, ‘Saving it for what?’ And they go, ‘Well, for when the new guy comes,” she memorized,
“And I looked at them, and I said, ‘I am the new guy.’ “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.”
In the same interview, actress, Ripa revealed that during her initial years on the show, she was obliged to use a communal restroom with the audience, even when she was pregnant, while Philbin was provided with a private toilet.
The relationship between Ripa and Philbin was dynamic, with her eventually negotiating an office space after being denied one for her early years on Live. She later co-hosted the show with Michael Strahan and her pal Seacrest, who will depart this year.
The Odd Relationship Between Kelly Ripa And Regis Philbin
Late presenter, Regis Philbin, and Ripa formed an unusual pairing when they co-hosted the syndicated talk show Live for 11 years, with Philbin being a seasoned TV veteran and Ripa a young actress. Despite this, they made it work and offered a unique dynamic on the show.
However, the two had an unusual on-screen dynamic that left many wondering what their off-screen relationship was like. Former Host, Philbin was known for his grumpy demeanor and Ripa for her bubbly personality, making for an interesting pairing.
Despite their emotional farewell in 2011, it appears that Ripa and Philbin’s friendship was not as enduring as it seemed. Philbin revealed in a 2017 interview that they had lost touch, which may explain his absence from Ripa’s 15th-anniversary show.
In 2013, Ripa suggested that there may have been issues between her and him when she spoke to The Hollywood Reporter, “I haven’t seen him.” Further, she added,
“He called to tell me how happy he is for me and how proud he is of the job we’re doing there and the great rating news that came out.”
Regardless of their off-screen relationship, Ripa and Philbin’s time as co-hosts left a lasting impression on viewers and solidified their places in television history.
Source: The Sun
