Following her standoff with executives over Michael Strahan’s exit from ABC’s “Live With Kelly and Michael,” Kelly Ripa has been named an executive producer on the show, Page Six has learned.
Ripa was made EP alongside Michael Gelman a few months ago in response to the drama over Strahan’s exit.
Back in April, Ripa went on a ministrike after she was blindsided by the news that Strahan — who had been her co-host since 2012 — was being given a full-time gig on “Good Morning America,” which also airs on ABC.
She later announced on-air that the brass had apologized for the slight, and we’re told that Disney boss Bob Iger personally stepped in to smooth things over with Ripa when she got the new title.
But in spite of the happy news, we’re told those who remained behind after Strahan split for “GMA” still have a case of the summertime blues. Insiders say that Strahan’s sudden exit and the revolving cast of stand-ins that have replaced him have left a heavier workload for Ripa and the crew.
“The team had fewer days off this summer than they usually do,” said a source close to production. “Most shows are on hiatus in August and [the ‘Live’ team] ended up working. They did more shows in August than they normally would have.”
As the search goes on for a regular co-host to join Ripa, Strahan’s seat has been filled by stars including Andy Cohen, Anderson Cooper and Jerry O’Connell.
But the insider explains that when there are just two regular hosts, there is a rhythm that is disrupted when there’s a different co-host every morning. “The whole staff has to do preparation differently because when you have a regular co-host, their own team does it,” they said, “but when it’s different every day, it is more work.”
The source said there’s “definitely more pressure in general on the show because they’ve had to work more, and it’s been more challenging work.”
This article originally appeared in the New York Post's Page Six.
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