The Start Of Kelly Ripa's Relationship With Regis Philbin Wasn't As Friendly As We Thought
Kelly Ripa became a household name as one half of the daytime talk show duo on "Regis and Kelly" after she took over for Regis Philbin's previous cohost Kathie Lee Gifford. But it turns out the real "Regis and Kelly" didn't start out as the best of friends. For that matter, it doesn't seem like they ended their professional relationship on the best of terms either, as Ripa has recently explained.
Ripa may be one of the reigning queens of daytime television today, but when she first got the cohosting gig in 2001, Philbin was the undisputed monarch of the genre. And it looks like he wasn't too keen on sharing the throne at the time. Despite the duo's playful dynamic on the show that made audiences fall in love with them, Ripa has just opened up about the tension that went on behind the scenes in a new interview — and let's just say it doesn't paint the late Philbin in the greatest light.
Kelly Ripa says Regis Philbin once referred to her as 'It'
According to Kelly Ripa, Regis Philbin wasn't thrilled to be sharing the spotlight with a new cohost on "Regis and Kelly," which he quickly made clear. Ripa told People that when she arrived on set with two people for hair and makeup on her first day, Philbin said to executive producer Michael Gelman, "Uh-oh ... it's got an entourage." Understandably, it did not make Ripa feel great to be referred to as "it." She told People, "He was probably trying to be funny, but at the same time it felt like a pile-on."
Ripa continued, "I understand that probably he didn't want a cohost, but the network wanted me to be the cohost and I didn't think I should pass up that opportunity." If this is how their relationship started out, maybe it's not that surprising that they didn't stay in touch after Philbin eventually left the show.
In 2013, Ripa told The Hollywood Reporter that she hadn't seen her former cohost since his departure, and in 2017, Philbin told Larry King that he and Ripa didn't keep in touch. Despite "the show [reaching] out many times," Ripa told People, "It makes me sad but it's not something I will ever understand ... You can't make a person befriend you." Furthermore, in her book, "Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories," she mentioned that "joining 'Live,' from my perspective, was a terrifying venture" and mentioned the misogynistic workplace culture at the time (via Haute Living).