Kelly Ripa called out Kathie Lee Gifford for commenting negatively about hernew book when the former Live! host never actually read it. In fact, Ripathinks Gifford wouldn’t actually have a problem with what she said about RegisPhilbin.
“I take his side… in most of the chapter,” Ripa declared on Tuesday’s episodeof Dear Media’s Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast.
Last week, Gifford said she’s “not gonna read” Ripa’s book Live Wire becauseof anecdotes the television personality made about Philbin. Gifford, who co-hosted Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee from 1985 to 2000, was “dear friends”with her former co-star up until his death in 2020.
“I was very sorry to see the headlines,” Gifford said on Fox 5’s Good Day NewYork , adding that she hoped Philbin’s widow, Joy, and his four adultchildren wouldn’t see what Ripa had to say. “Lord, protect Joy and the girlsfrom this… In all the years I’ve known him, I never saw him unkind toanybody.”
Ripa was surprised to learn what Gifford had to say. The morning show hostasked husband Mark Consuelos if there were bad headlines about herself andPhilbin she somehow missed — “because I do miss a lot” — but realized “therewere none.” Ripa said it was Gifford who ironically “created” the headlines.
“Here’s what I’ve decided. Are you ready? It is really hard to sell a book,”Ripa added. “And this is like week three of the book, right? And I mean,honestly, I’m not gonna lie, I was not reading any headlines anywhere. Andsuddenly all of these headlines pop up and there’s all of this attention on mybook. So I am a person that tends to take a negative and turn it into apositive.”
Ripa continued, “My ultimate comment is, thank you. I mean, it’s like reallyhard to get attention on a book that’s been out for a couple of weeks and nowit’s week two, second week on the New York Times Best Sellers list. It’slike, thank you, because I think that people that read the book will have avery different take on the book!”
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When asked if Gifford would have a different take if she read Live Wire Ripareplied: “I think anybody that reads the book will have a completely differenttake.”
Ripa called it “a conundrum” whether or not to respond publicly about Gifford.
“Again, I didn’t see the interview, so I tend to, like, not go into deep divesabout things I can’t comment on because I haven’t seen them,” Ripa said.”Theoretically, should a person correct the record in real time? Or shouldthey not even, you know, comment on it because here’s the thing — it’s like Italked to the people who read the book. I knew writing a book was going toopen me up to all sorts of criticism, right? But people who read the book havea very different take on those chapters because they read the book.”
Ripa called herself “a big free speech person.”
“I think we should all be able to speak,” she continued. “Nobody has to readevery book on earth. And the comments I’ve gotten about those chapters havebeen overwhelmingly positive and the people who read the book took away a lotof positivity from it. It is ironic that it is that chapter where I talk aboutwhat do I do in these situations? Do I advance a media narrative withclickbait and all of that stuff? Or do I just drop it?”
While promoting her book last month, Ripa told Yahoo Entertainment it was “agreat privilege” to have worked alongside Philbin, but admitted “it was not aneasy working relationship.”
“I take the audience on a journey [in the book] as to what it was like to bethere, and how unfair it was for Regis first and foremost because … it was hisshow and nobody should have a workmate forced upon them,” she shared.
“I make no illusions that there was this friendship [with Regis] that peopleconjure up — even though … I know that he liked and respected what I did onthe air,” Ripa added. “I liked and respected him as well, and the handful oftimes that we socialized together off-camera were genuinely fun.”