ET has a new exclusive about the hunt for a co-host to replace Michael Strahan on Live. We’ve heard that Kelly Ripa, still smarting from the abrupt way she was informed about Strahan’s exit, has been insisting that one of her friends in the media replace him. Kelly has reportedly been advocating for either Andy Cohen or Anderson Cooper, both longterm friends, to join her on the show. Cooper has said that would be pleased to take the position, although it’s early yet and multiple co-hosts need to be tested. According to ET’s sources, producers are telling Kelly that they want to bring a more diverse co-host to the show, and that’s supported by the list of temporary hosts, which include Daniel Dae Kim, Cedric The Entertainer and Jussie Smollett.
While Kelly Ripa’s good friend Anderson Cooper and Neil Patrick Harris are among those who have been mentioned as possible contenders to fill Strahan’s spot, a source connected to the search for her new co-host tells ET they are looking for someone more ethnically diverse.
That is certainly keeping in line with the guest hosts scheduled to appear on the show the week following Strahan’s exit. The program recently announced that Jimmy Kimmel, Jussie Smollett, Cedric the Entertainer, David Muir and Daniel Dae Kim will be Ripa’s right-hand men during this intervening period.
Additionally, ET has learned that Ripa recently began pre-taping solo celebrity interviews to air after Strahan leaves.
I don’t understand why Kelly needs to pre-tape celebrity interviews if she has guest hosts on with her every day. Isn’t that part of testing out new people, seeing how they conduct interviews, not just the pre-interview banter? Maybe it takes so much time to get people on board that they’re getting some of the tough stuff out of the way ahead of time. Plus the show really is broadcast live, when they try out new people it’s got to be stressful.
Kelly doesn’t tweet or Instagram much, she posts about 2-4 times a week, and she’s been very quiet since we heard that Michael was leaving the show. It seems like she concentrated all her insider information on the celebrity press and went silent on social media. Anyway, does it sound to anyone else like they’re trying to convince Kelly that they should hire whomever they want? It’s true that Strahan has been there for years and while it seems admirable that they want to promote diversity on the network, when it comes to TV producers doing the right thing for its own sake I have very little faith.
Wish I got to pick my coworkers. On the other hand, I could put up with a lot if shut for 15 million a year.
Daniel Dae Kim please. We all deserve some DDK in the morn.
Sorry but that is not happening. She is going to endorse someone that is local. But it won’t be Anderson Cooper. Anderson had a morning talk show and it was a flop. ABC is not going with him.
I also don’t think it will be DDK. Unless CBS cancels Hawaii 5-0 I don’t see him doing New York and Hawaii on a daily basis. That would probably kill him.
I’m sure she thinks picking a friend or someone she trust would be an allí against the network she’s actually feuding with. I believe she was a little annoyed at Strahan for siding with the executive’s decision to keep her in the dark. She doesn’t want to go through that again and she doesn’t trust them as far as those tiny little arms can throw them.
Wait what? When is it considered “siding with the executive’s decision to keep her in the dark” to do what your bosses tell you? This isn’t high school we are talking about. And no her “friends” would not have told her either because they too would have lost their promotion if they went against their bosses orders .
Nor would Kelly have told Michael or her friends if the shoe was on the other foot. That’s not how the billion dollar adult world of business works.
I agree. She may be perceived as having more authority than she does because she is a co-host, but the fact is, she is an employee of the network. She has no authority, and is no position to make demands. She may have some influence or input but only to a certain degree.
On another note, this “ethnic” co-host talk contradicts what others are saying. Everybody assumed the new co-host would represent diversity, but the blinds have revealed, surprisingly, that it is probably going to be Jerry O’Connell. Don’t ask me why, but that’s what the blinds are saying.
Don’t Daniel Dae Kim, Jussie Smollett and Cedric have jobs already? Why is everyone suggested someone who has a regular job already?
I know! Plus, would Live be a step down for DDK, Jussie, and Cedric? Jussie, especially, has had so much hype from Empire recently that I just don’t see him taking a full time job on a morning show.
I am thinking her husband Mark is being considered (or maybe has already been signed)
Kelly is looking to work with someone she is close with. Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen are good friends but they have busy careers. With the upcoming election I can’t see Anderson being able to do a morning show.
With Mark, the producers would get someone Kelly is comfortable with( married 20 years!) and also fill the “ethnically diverse” criteria that the producers are looking for. There have been successful wife/husband talk shows in the past. Maybe that is the route they want to go again?
Oh Manhattan Barbie does have her problems. Poor dat. She loves to hang with gay men, i.e. Anderson, Andy, Neil…..but one of her fill ins is David Muir, I’d watch the show that day, he is so darn good looking, but alas my dreams would be unfulfilled as I think he’s on the other team. I don’t how much of a shelf life this show has left in it, Michael leaving peaked some interest, but the show is a borefest, at least to me.
Yeah, he’s on the other team.
My guess is her 3 day walkout garnered her a lot of leverage into the decision on who will be replacing Strahan, but I don’t know why it has to be someone multi-ethnic…this isn’t an election for crying out loud, they’re just interviewing celebrities.
How can one person be ‘ethnically diverse?’ Under the cloak of anonymity, I am being the language police. Don’t you need to have a group before it can be assessed for the diversity of its constituent parts?
If what they’re saying is “non-white,” then just say it. It’s a laudable goal. But “diverse” does not mean “different.” Unless thye’re looking for someone whose family was itself remarkably diverse (“Kelly’s new co-host is Scots-Filipino-Italian-Nigerian!”), which is probably not the case, then say they are looking for someone who represents the changing demographics of the country or something like that.
Not bothered by the goal or intent. Bothered by the grammar. Or the usage. Or something. I need more sleep.
If they came out and said “non white”, those who are voting Trump and the like, would throw a shit fit. Using the term “ethically diverse” is a bit more palatable.
But there are ways to convey what they’re trying to do and still use the language correctly.
Anyway, whatever, I’m quibbling about something said by an unnamed source that either was the original wording or was paraphrased by a reporter. I’ve just noticed this use of the term “diverse” before and the whole point of “diversity” is that it is something that applies to a group, not an individual. “Diversity” could apply to the units in a holding company, the offerings on a menu, or a group of people. But no one item is in itself diverse, because it’s all about its identity relative to the other items in the group.
Kelly is not testing out Jussie or Cedric.They are guest hosting.Jussie will begin his third season on Empire next month in Los Angeles.Cedric is on a comedy tour.
ET probably made up this nonsense about the host being ethnically diverse when they saw three of guest hosts during the first week are not White.ET conveniently didn’t mention the two White guest co host Jimmy Kimmel and David Muir.
I want her to have either anderson cooper or andy cohen. But i think having a non-white co-host is important too. I think it’s good that they mentioned ethnically diverse. Although i do agree that it wasn’t actually the term they meant to use. I worry that otherwise they’d think that white host plus black co-host equals diversity. When actually, there are so many races and cultures in this world. If it was DDK i’d be really happy.
Why does the co-host have to be a man? Or perhaps Jussie is a woman; I am completely unfamiliar with that person.
I don’t like the idea of just hiring someone because of their gender, sex or race. How about hiring someone based on how well they do the job?
Maybe because I’ve spent more time “working outside the home” than not since the days of Kathie Lee and Regis, but who cares? There is little to no veritas on that show. It’s sole function is for people to plug their upcoming (fill in the blank). Never was overly fond of the peppy cheerleader hostess types anyway. She is easily replaced. Saw her referred to as NY Barbie and I think it fits. I think the show might have more longevity by changing hosts every 10 years or so. But that’s probably just me. I’ll still be “outside the home” no matter who fills in.