"I don’t want to make anyone feel bad or disrespectful. It was hard work.

Kelly Ripa began work on her memoir "Live Wire": Long-Winded Short Stories. The "hardest chapter to create" was the one that dealt with her time on "Live!" Regis Philbin, cohost.

After Kathie Lee Gifford had left the morning show in 2001, Ripa was brought into the mix. She said that while she has been with the show ever since, those early years weren’t easy.

She spoke with PEOPLE to discuss writing the book and explained why it was so hard for her to write about this particular period in her life.

"I don’t want to make anyone feel bad or disrespectful. She said that it wasn't an easy task. It took me years to get my position there and to be able to receive the same things as the men with whom I worked. This includes an office and a place for my computer.

She recalled her first day on set. She claimed that she was told she could not bring an entourage. Instead, she showed up with a hairdresser and makeup artist, which she described as "not uncommon" in the industry. However, her cohost was not pleased with this decision.

She claimed that Regis' first reaction was to hear Michael Gelman, the executive producer of the show, say "Uh-oh Gelman, it has an entourage." She said that she felt terrible. "He was probably trying be funny, but it also felt like a pile on."

She said, "I get that he probably didn't want a host, but the network wanted us to have one and I didn’t think I shouldn’t accept that opportunity." It was also unfair to me."

Ripa admitted that there were "good days and bad days" but she felt she eventually came to love him. She also said that she enjoyed the "handful" of time they had together off-set. He was also "the best storyteller in the world," she said, noting that "if i could be a tenth of as good as he is" she would "be happy."

Philbin spoke on OraTV's Larry King Now in 2017 and explained why he felt the relationship between them was strained after he retired from the show in 2011. He said that he did not keep in touch with Ripa when he was asked.

"She was very upset when I left. Philbin said to King that she believed I was leaving because it was because of her. "I was moving because I was growing older, and it wasn’t right for me anymore."

He claimed that the show never asked him back after he had left.

Ripa said that she believes PEOPLE reached out to him "many times" in order for him to make an appearance. He did so in 2015. She said, "It's sad, but it's something I won't ever understand." "I was determined in my attempts at communication. It's impossible to make someone friend you.

Ripa's book, "Live Wire. Long-Winded Short Stories," will be out September 27, 2022.

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Title: Kelly Ripa on Tensions with Regis Philbin: 'You Can't Make a Person Befriend You'
Sourced From: toofab.com/2022/09/26/kelly-ripa-regis-philbin-live/
Published Date: Mon, 26 Sep 2022 16:13:10 +0000

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