Bitter Feud
Livewithkellyandryan Turmoil
After yet another betrayal, tensions between Kelly Ripa, co-host Ryan Seacrest and ABC execs hit an all-time high.
Kelly Ripa couldn’t seem to contain her excitement. Moments into the July 20 episode of Live With Kelly and Ryan, she blurted out an announcement: Ryan Seacrest would be returning as host of the revived American Idol. “You make that show. You are the heart and soul,” she gushed to her co-host. “Only you can do it.”
But behind the scenes, sources say, she’s not happy. ABC announced it had acquired the rights to relaunch American Idol just eight days after Ryan joined Live on May 1, giving Kelly a horrifying feeling of déjà vu. Last year, she felt betrayed when the network and then- co- host Michael Strahan plotted his exit for Good Morning America without even giving Kelly a heads-up. Now, with the official AI reveal coming as Live ratings plummet, a nasty feud has exploded on set once again, Life & Style has exclusively learned. “The show is a wreck at the moment,” and Kelly’s upset with execs, reveals a TV insider. “She feels stabbed in the back and believes she’s going to lose Ryan just like she lost Michael.” (A rep for Kelly denies this
THORNY SITUATION
For now, Ryan, 42, plans to host Idol in LA on Sunday nights, then jet to NYC for Live on Mondays, according to reports. He’s also not expected to attend all of the nationwide auditions, to avoid disrupting his daytime gig with Kelly too much. But his co-host, 46, isn’t convinced the schedule is manageable. “Kelly is truly pissed that, after all the time ABC spent negotiating with Ryan for Live, they would then buy the show that made him a household name, and take him away,” says the insider. Kelly, who’s been with Live for 16 years, “really thought Live would be Ryan’s focus.”
The show needs all the attention it can get. This summer, ratings have dropped as much as 23 percent compared to the same time peri-
od last year, when Kelly was still auditioning co-hosts. And they fell a whopping 12 percent just a week after the initial excitement of Ryan’s arrival. Kelly thought she and Ryan would immediately improve the ratings, “but Ryan is just not connecting with daytime viewers,” says the insider. “He appeals to a much younger, music- oriented audience. Kelly blames the show. She feels [execs] made a huge miscalculation bringing him on to Live.”
MAJOR REGRETS
The show went through 68 guest co-hosts before settling on Ryan. Out of the pack of athletes, actors, musicians and more who auditioned, though, he never seemed like a natural fit. He’s the ultimate California guy: He’d been based in LA for two decades (even before he started hosting Idol on Fox for 15 seasons), and still hosts a daily radio show there and produces several California-filmed series. But he made the jump, renting a townhouse in NYC and commuting to LA on weekends for his various side jobs. But that was before inking the Idol deal with his new bosses.
Now insiders wonder if he’ll pull a Strahan. ABC and the former pro football player, 45, blindsided Kelly in April 2016 by revealing that Michael would depart Live after four years to take a full-time role on the network’s Good Morning America. Kelly didn’t show up to work for four days after the announcement, explaining that she’d felt disrespected by not being included in the process.
The chances of Ryan jumping ship could be even higher than they were for Michael, because he’s already unhappy at Live. He has his own unhappiness with show execs, reveals the insider: “Ryan thought the gig would very much be a joint co-hosting effort with Kelly. But he’s come to learn that Live is really Kelly’s show.” Ryan doesn’t resent Kelly, sources tell Life & Style, and in fact they are very fond of each other. And another insider claims Ryan is committed to the show “and happy to be working with his longtime friend Kelly.” That insider insists his Idol schedule “will not interfere with his daily duties on Live.”
WHAT ABC IS SAYING
At one point, 38 million viewers tuned in to watch Ryan host American Idol, which was ranked No. 1 in adults 18–49 for seven consecutive seasons. Live With Kelly and Ryan, meanwhile, has ranked No. 16 or lower among syndicated series for seven different weeks, consistently being beaten by the likes of Judge Judy, Dr. Phil and Family Feud. “For the show to not be a huge hit is a blow to Ryan’s ego,” notes a source.
ABC execs aren’t happy, either. “It felt very safe adding Ryan to Live. No one at the network thought that adding him was a huge risk,” says an insider close to Ryan. “But the whole situation has become a mess.” (An ABC spokesperson denies this and tells Life & Style, “We’re thrilled with the team of Kelly and Ryan. They’re terrific together, have great chemistry, and Live continues to be the top-rated entertainment talk show in daytime television.” The spokesperson, however, did not address the show’s sinking ratings.)
A NEW ENEMY
Ratings aren’t Kelly’s only problem. In the midst of the nasty feud at ABC, her former friend Howard Stern reignited a bitter fight between them. Though Kelly’s husband, Mark Consuelos, 46, officiated the wedding of Howard and wife Beth Ostrosky in 2008, the radio shock jock took to his Sirius XM show on July 17 to blast the Live host’s work ethic. “A day of our show is a week of Kelly Ripa’s show,” he said to co-host Robin Quivers. Last year, Howard also criticized Kelly’s decision to boycott her series after Michael’s big announcement. “You gotta show up for work,” he blasted. “We’ve all been humiliated and we don’t make $20 million.”
At least she still has an ally in Ryan, who was her friend before any of the drama began. “Kelly and Ryan like and have a high regard for each other,” notes the TV insider. “They’re not angry with one another. It’s just been a real TV marriage mismatch.
“I’m only as successful as the person sitting next to me.” — Kelly on hosting Live