The Mirror

Kelly Ripa Has An Incredibly Emotional Return To ABC’s ‘LIVE’

(Helga Esteb/Shutterstock.com)

Betsy Rothstein Gossip blogger
Font Size:

Kelly Ripa, the host of ABC’s “LIVE” who went awol the last several days, returned to the set Tuesday to a standing ovation. She held a hand to her heart and looked like she was going to cry.

“Guys, guys, guys … our long national nightmare is over,” Ripa told the audience Tuesday morning.

Oh, did the dressing rooms run out of fresh lemons?

Actually it was far worse than that. Her co-host Michael Strahan jumped ship for ABC’s “GMA” without giving her proper warning. Network execs also did not let her in on the news until minutes before it broke.

Rumor has it Ripa and Strahan can’t stand each other. According to the New York Post‘s Page Six, Strahan would throw “locker room”-style temper tantrums. Sources said on-air niceties were just for show.

But don’t worry. She’s fine. They’re fine. The pair walked out tightly holding hands. The Mirror hopes the retired NFL defensive lineman wasn’t squeezing the petite blonde too hard. The morning host who earns $20 million a year explained that she was just vacationing with her husband, Mark Consuelos, on a pre-planned trip to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary. She was also “gathering her thoughts” and stewing about not being given warning that her co-host was leaving.

The total number of days she really missed: 4 if you count her vacation days; 2 if you count the days she decided to just not show up for work.

But somehow this is all so wonderful because it’s turned into a national conversation about respecting women in the workplace. The world will be forever changed.

Looking like she was on the brink of an emotional downpour, Ripa pulled it together. “I’m fairly certain that there are trained guards with tranquilizer darts if I go too far off message,” she said. “I needed a couple of days to gather my thoughts. After 26 years, I earned that right. In that time, I gained some perspective.”

Ripa explained that her time away created a seismic shift on the planet.

“Over the course of a few days what has transpired has been extraordinary,” she said.

Has there been a cure for brain cancer?

“Communication and consideration and respect in the workplace,” she continued. “Since we’re being honest, I don’t consider this just a workplace. This is my second home. … We have an incredible team. We are incredibly devoted to one another. We are  family. … Our parent company has assured me that LIVE is a priority. There is a commitment to this show … and most importantly to you the viewers.”

And then she unloaded a torrent of bullshit.

“I am thrilled for Michael,” she said. “I am thrilled for you. And I couldn’t be prouder of you and everything we accomplished together.”

She emerged from her psychological break, saying, “My dad was a bus driver for 30 years. Thinks we’re all crazy. And I think he’s right.”

Next it was Strahan’s turn to turn on the fake enthusiasm for Ripa’s return.

“I’m so happy you’re back. … I love you,” he said, likely lying through his teeth. “I’m so happy you’re here because you brought me here. This show has been transforming for me. You are the queen of morning television.”

Ripa joked that Oprah is “the queen.” Strahan joked back, “She’s retired.”

(UH OH. OPRAH, YOU LISTENING TO THIS?)

PREMIUM ARTICLE: Subscribe To Keep Reading

Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!

Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!

Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!

Sign Up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
BENEFITS READERS PASS PATRIOTS FOUNDERS
Daily and Breaking Newsletters
Daily Caller Shows
Ad Free Experience
Exclusive Articles
Custom Newsletters
Editor Daily Rundown
Behind The Scenes Coverage
Award Winning Documentaries
Patriot War Room
Patriot Live Chat
Exclusive Events
Gold Membership Card
Tucker Mug

What does Founders Club include?

Tucker Mug and Membership Card
Founders

Readers,

Instead of sucking up to the political and corporate powers that dominate America, The Daily Caller is fighting for you — our readers. We humbly ask you to consider joining us in this fight.

Now that millions of readers are rejecting the increasingly biased and even corrupt corporate media and joining us daily, there are powerful forces lined up to stop us: the old guard of the news media hopes to marginalize us; the big corporate ad agencies want to deprive us of revenue and put us out of business; senators threaten to have our reporters arrested for asking simple questions; the big tech platforms want to limit our ability to communicate with you; and the political party establishments feel threatened by our independence.

We don't complain -- we can't stand complainers -- but we do call it how we see it. We have a fight on our hands, and it's intense. We need your help to smash through the big tech, big media and big government blockade.

We're the insurgent outsiders for a reason: our deep-dive investigations hold the powerful to account. Our original videos undermine their narratives on a daily basis. Even our insistence on having fun infuriates them -- because we won’t bend the knee to political correctness.

One reason we stand apart is because we are not afraid to say we love America. We love her with every fiber of our being, and we think she's worth saving from today’s craziness.

Help us save her.

A second reason we stand out is the sheer number of honest responsible reporters we have helped train. We have trained so many solid reporters that they now hold prominent positions at publications across the political spectrum. Hear a rare reasonable voice at a place like CNN? There’s a good chance they were trained at Daily Caller. Same goes for the numerous Daily Caller alumni dominating the news coverage at outlets such as Fox News, Newsmax, Daily Wire and many others.

Simply put, America needs solid reporters fighting to tell the truth or we will never have honest elections or a fair system. We are working tirelessly to make that happen and we are making a difference.

Since 2010, The Daily Caller has grown immensely. We're in the halls of Congress. We're in the Oval Office. And we're in up to 20 million homes every single month. That's 20 million Americans like you who are impossible to ignore.

We can overcome the forces lined up against all of us. This is an important mission but we can’t do it unless you — the everyday Americans forgotten by the establishment — have our back.

Please consider becoming a Daily Caller Patriot today, and help us keep doing work that holds politicians, corporations and other leaders accountable. Help us thumb our noses at political correctness. Help us train a new generation of news reporters who will actually tell the truth. And help us remind Americans everywhere that there are millions of us who remain clear-eyed about our country's greatness.

In return for membership, Daily Caller Patriots will be able to read The Daily Caller without any of the ads that we have long used to support our mission. We know the ads drive you crazy. They drive us crazy too. But we need revenue to keep the fight going. If you join us, we will cut out the ads for you and put every Lincoln-headed cent we earn into amplifying our voice, training even more solid reporters, and giving you the ad-free experience and lightning fast website you deserve.

Patriots will also be eligible for Patriots Only content, newsletters, chats and live events with our reporters and editors. It's simple: welcome us into your lives, and we'll welcome you into ours.

We can save America together.

Become a Daily Caller Patriot today.

Signature

Neil Patel