Kelly Ripa’s days on her morning talk show might be numbered. Following Ryan Seacrest’s plan to relocate Live with Kelly and Ryan to Los Angeles, Ripa reportedly wants off the show. Will she leave after being betrayed by her co-host and ABC a third time?
An inside source told Radar Online that Ripa is tired of the network’s favoritism towards Seacrest. Ripa even threatened to leave the show if her bosses continue to kiss up to the American Idol host. If producers decide to film in Live in Los Angeles next year to accommodate Seacrest’s busy schedule, it might prove to be the final straw.
“Kelly’s announced that if push comes to shove, she’s ready to walk,” the source shared. “Kelly’s given them an ultimatum — it’s her way or the highway!”
Kelly Ripa still feels like she was betrayed by how the network handled Michael Strahan’s departure last year. The longtime talk show host is doing everything in her power to avoid a similar situation with Seacrest and will pull out if she deems it necessary.
ABC recently revealed that Seacrest would host American Idol in 2018. The singing competition will be filmed on Sunday nights in L.A., which means Seacrest would need to fly out to New York that evening to host Live Monday mornings. Seacrest allegedly suggested filming Live in L.A. to avoid weekly red-eye flights.
“After Ryan made his demand, network brass wanted Kelly to uproot her family and move to California,” the insider explained. “That’s when Kelly put her foot down and said, ‘No way!’”
Ripa has a lot of ties in New York, so moving really isn’t an option for her. Apart from filming Live , her husband’s production company is in New York. She also has a son that is getting ready to start high school in the Big Apple and moving him would be a major undertaking.
To make things even more complicated, In Touch Weekly reports that ratings for Live have steadily dropped since Seacrest came on board. In fact, the show has not been able to garner the same numbers as when Strahan was the co-host. Producers believe a move to Hollywood might help boost ratings and expand the show’s celebrity guest appearances. Of course, there’s also a chance that Seacrest will get the ax due to the poor ratings and his new gig on American Idol .
Kelly Ripa has not officially commented on the departure rumors. Live with Kelly and Ryan airs weekdays on ABC.
[Featured Image by ABC]
