Word has hit that Kelly Ripa will be returning to host Live With Kelly And Michael this Tuesday, but there are still doubts and concerns about what will happen when she walks onto the set. Ripa confirmed her return in an email late Friday night according to The Hollywood Reporter. This followed doubts about her status after she “no showed” on Wednesday:
“(Sorry for this late Friday night email),” she said in the email. “I wanted to thank you all for giving me the time to process this new information. Your kindness, support, and love has overwhelmed me. We are a family and I look forward to seeing you all on Tuesday morning. Love, Kelly.”
Despite the cheerful demeanor in the email, many behind the show seem to be worried that Ripa will unload upon her return to the show. According to Page Six, the gossip side of this story cites sources that note Ripa is required to show up on Tuesday or could face legal ramifications. Then if she does return, some are worried about an “Ann Curry moment”:
“ABC has the other problem that if Kelly does appear at work on Tuesday, that she ‘might do an Ann Curry’ and turn on her co-anchor. There clearly would be tension between her and Michael. He’s on the show for another four months, but could they even be on-air together? Nobody knows what is going to happen.”
Apart from this concern, there’s still the looming rumors that Live could lose its timeslot to Good Morning America, snatching up Strahan and pushing Ripa down the schedule, possibly even to the afternoon according to The Hollywood Reporter:
“The success of GMA is the No.1 priority of ABC News because it subsidizes the entire news division,” says an ABC News veteran who asked not to be named. But to that end, a source at GMA predicts a third hour could bring in an additional $25 million to $50 million in revenue each year while adding little additional cost to the show’s operating budget.
TMZ also adds that Ripa and Strahan are feeling the tension about sitting next to each other upon her return, with their sources saying that it would not be harmful if he decided to leave before his scheduled departure in September. Who knows what will happen to the show in the future, but there are many replacements out there for Ripa to choose from. Regis Philbin even chimed in on the situation, noting that ABC did go behind her back a bit and that he is not in line for any sort of return.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter / Page Six / TMZ)
