Kelly Ripa Says She’ll Use The ‘Regis Philbin Formula’ To Get Through Coming Weeks

Kelly Ripa opened up recently about how difficult it’s going to be to move on with Live! following the departure of co-host Michael Strahan on Friday, saying she’ll take things one day at a time and use what she learned from several years of working with Regis Philbin to get through it.

“I just remember when Regis left it was so scary. Because we – meaning me – had never done this before. Regis had done it many times, and he was so good at it. It makes you terrified. Like, ‘Can I do this without Regis being here?’ You realize you just settle into a rhythm. We just keep doing it one show at a time. We always try to remind ourselves it’s never as good as we think it is and it’s never as bad as we think it is. We just keep marching forward. That’s what we’ve done for years. It’s not a formula I invented. This is a formula that Regis created, and we’re sticking to it,” Ripa told People.

Kelly Ripa was upset last month when producers announced that Strahan would be making the move full-time to Good Morning America. Kelly was a no-show on set the day after, leaving her bosses to hastily find someone to fill in for her. When Kelly did return to the show, she made a speech about respect in the workplace and was reportedly upset that she was not consulted at all about Michael’s move.

“I needed a couple of days to gather my thoughts. After 26 years with this company I earned the right. And let’s be honest, I know half of you called in sick to be here, so we get each other…Apologies have been made, and the best thing to come out of all of this is that our parent company has assured me that Live! is a priority. There is a commitment to this show and the people that work here and, most importantly, to you the viewers who have watched us for years,” Kelly said in her return speech.

After Ripa’s return, many viewers took to social media to talk about the obvious tension between the co-hosts, who previously had only displayed a good working relationship. Ripa even seemingly took some jabs at Michael regarding his divorce, which made headlines after viewers noticed the digs.

“Watching Kelly and Michael on my day off is actually like being at work. Its two people who cant stand each other pretending to like each other,” one fan wrote on Twitter.

Another red flag came when Strahan announced his last day would be May 13, instead of later this year; Ripa reportedly “didn’t want him around” any longer than he had to be. On Friday, however, Kelly proposed a toast to Michael and told him she was proud of him.

“I just want to say, on behalf of myself and all of us, we couldn’t be prouder of you. You have given us so much joy in the mornings. We really are so so proud of you. We achieved so much together, and I look forward to watching you every morning and seeing what else you achieve on Good Morning America,” Kelly Ripa said.

Rumors have been flying about who will officially take Michael’s position, with names like Anderson Cooper and Don Lemon being thrown around. However, no decision has been made other than those surrounding guest hosts, which will include Jimmy Kimmel, Hawaii Five-0 star Daniel Dae Kim, Empire star Jussie Smollett, comedian Cedric the Entertainer, and ABC World News Tonight anchor David Muir.

Kelly Ripa has continued to be active on social media throughout the drama and opened up about why she wouldn’t want to do the show solo, saying that the “formula” that Regis perfected included having a duo share the hosting duties.

“I like having a partner. I don’t think it works otherwise. I wouldn’t want to do that show. I need someone sitting next to me.”

[Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images]