Kelly Ripa on Sexism During Her Time at Live

Kelly Ripa has opened up about the sexism and unfair treatment she has faced during her time at Live in a new Variety profile.

Kelly Ripa is known for her cheerful television persona, as the co-host of the most-watched syndicated talk show on TV. For Variety’s first of five Power of Women issues, Ripa honestly detailed the hardships she has faced during her time at Live.

Ripa has maintained the series’ momentum throughout two different co-star transitions, Regis Philbin and Michael Strahan. Now, Ripa is preparing for a third transition with her current co-host, Ryan Seacrest.

Seacrest and Ripa began their duo ship in 2017, but Seacrest announced that his six-year run would end this year. Ripa’s husband, Mark Consuelos, will be Live’s next co-host. This transition initially gave the star some anxiety. Ripa explained that both Seacrest and Consuelos tried to console her, but that her prior experiences had given her “a little PTSD.”

Ripa was kept in the dark about the departure of both of her co-hosts Philbin and Strahan. Philbin announced on-air that he’d be retiring, unbeknownst to Ripa. Then, in 2016, ABC executive Ben Sherwood instructed those at the network to keep Strahan’s switch to Good Morning America a secret from Ripa until the contract was signed.

Before Seacrest’s arrival on the talk show, Ripa was unsure if she wanted to continue due to her treatment by ABC executives. Ripa shared that initially, she was not given paid vacation time or maternity leave. Further, she was required to share a bathroom with the studio audience whereas Philbin had a private toilet. 

Ripa went on to detail the difficulty that came with even acquiring a desk for herself. The star was told she could not have a desk, but after her fourth year, “they finally cleaned out the closet and put a desk in there.” When Philbin departed, making Ripa the main host, Ripa assumed she would be obtaining a real office. But, Ripa recalled, “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.’ And I looked at them, and I said, ‘I am the new guy. I just moved my things.”

Ripa shared that she originally did not feel that her treatment was unusual. She detailed being the most senior on-air person but yet the priority was “to make the new guy comfortable and respected, but I couldn’t use those offices. I had to use the broom closet.” The star explained that it “was like weirdly being rejected while also being the person that they wanted for the show.”

Great article. I probably would not have sought out an interview with Kelly Ripa but I’m so glad I read this. It’s not just me who deals with this inequity. EVERY female presenting person does. Thank you for sharing.

— Kelly Satterfield (@hellzkellz74) March 28, 2023

Equal pay was not easily obtained either. Ripa shared that it was not until her contract was up and had the ability to quit did the network give her what was fair. She explained, “I don’t think they wanted to pay me, I think they had to pay me.” By being able to leave the show, Ripa felt that “they really figured out rapidly that they had screwed up in a major way, and it was not a good look.” 

Ripa detailed that now she feels proud and valued at Live. However, the star attributes this to Debra O’Connell, who was brought in to oversee the series in 2018. 

Ripa is passionate about fair pay, as she experienced unequal treatment in her time as an actress. Ripa hopes her legacy will be one that encourages others to speak up, sharing that “It’s not just that I have a daughter. I have co-workers. I have people in my life that I care about. I don’t want them to have to scrape for the scraps.”

Ripa’s fight for equal treatment is inspiring and helps to pave the way for women everywhere. To see more, Variety’s Power of Women Video interview with Kelly Ripa is available to watch below.