Since 2001, Kelly Ripa has been one of television’s most identifiable morning talk show hosts. However, when Kelly took time off last week after it was announced that Michael Strahan, her cohost, would be moving to Good Morning America, the future of the show was unclear and the public eagerly watched for the drama to unfold right before their eyes.
The morning television program began in 1988 with hosts Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford and has been a staple in American households ever since. Once Gifford left the show, producers teamed Philbin up with a handful of potential co-hosts before finding the perfect one: Kelly Ripa. The addition of Kelly to the program increased the young-audience demographic by 80 percent and added a new energy and perspective to the show.
Despite their age difference, it was always very evident that Regis and Kelly had an incredible chemistry so when Regis announced that he was retiring from the show in 2001, the fate of the show was questionable. After a year of searching for the Kelly’s next co-host, the producers decided on former New York Giant defensive end, Michael Strahan. With a new co-host, the program’s ratings continued to rise and it was actually renewed through the 2019-2020 season.
Last Tuesday, Kelly was called into a meeting after the show’s taping with the show’s executive producer, Michael Gellman, and WBAC’s general manager, Dave Davis, and was shocked when she was told that Strahan was leaving the show for a permanent position on Good Morning America. According to sources, Kelly had no idea that Michael would be leaving the show and the whole deal was kept a secret. Following the news, Kelly did not appear on the show on Wednesday because she took a personal day and then left on a previously planned anniversary trip with her husband.
A week after the meeting, Kelly, back from vacation, returned to work alongside Strahan. After receiving a standing ovation from the audience, Kelly struggled to fight back tears and addressed the audience. Kelly extended her congratulations to Michael and stressed how proud she was of the time they had together on the show and his next career step. One of the positive aspects that Kelly stressed that came out of the drama that unfolded was that it provoked a conversation about respect, communication, and consideration in the workplace which is fitting considering it appears that Kelly was ambushed by the news. In addition, Kelly assured the audience and viewers that the company views the program as a priority to them and that it will not be going anywhere, despite the loss of Strahan.
Although Kelly made it clear that the show would continue, Michael’s departure from the show leaves many viewers, including myself, questioning the future of the show. Considering it took producers almost a year to find Regis’ replacement, who knows how long it will take them this time to find a replacement for Michael. Similarly, Michael was expected to leave the show late summer, but news broke today that his last day was being significantly pushed up so it appears that producers will have to begin to scramble to find replacement co-hosts to audition for the position. The new co-host, without a doubt, has huge shoes to fill and the future of the show could rest on their shoulders so it will definitely be interesting to see how the situation plays out.
