Kelly Ripa Shuns Professionalism, Refuses to Show Up For Work After Michael Strahan Shocker

There’s been little trend lately we’ve been seeing where network or cable news talent somehow believe they’re not only an on-camera product, but also a major decision-maker when it comes to decisions normally reserved for executives behind the scenes. Exhibit A today is Kelly Ripa, longtime host of Live! with (insert host here) and Kelly on ABC.

In case you missed it, here’s the somewhat short version of what’s happened on this front over the past 24 hours: Michael Strahan, the former New York Giants star, co-host of Fox NFL Sunday and two-day-a-week co-host of Good Morning America, was told he was being re-assigned to appear on GMA full time (five days per week) by the powers that be at ABC. The network, however, failed to inform Ms. Ripa of their decision privately, and she ended up hearing about it in the press instead.

Is this a mismanaged situation by ABC? You bet. Ripa — a former soap opera star on All My Children — has been a co-host on Live! for the past 15 years. She could have been a host on the show for just 15 months… doesn’t matter. She deserved a heads up before ABC went public with the news that Strahan was more needed on GMA than Live!.

All of that said, of course, that doesn’t give the 45-year-old any right for her not to show up for work. But that’s exactly what Ripa did this morning in protest over either losing Strahan — whom she reportedly championed as a host following Regis Philbin‘s retirement four years ago– or for not being informed of the decision prior to the announcement. Either way, according to celebritynetworth.com, Ripa is paid a reported $20 million per year, or $36,000.00 per episode (for 44 minutes of airtime, which therefore comes to taking home $818.00 per minute).

Just try to absorb that for moment…

Now let it really sink in…

Then ask yourself this: Regardless of how ABC handled this, should Ripa have still done the professional thing and walked out onto that set today?

Abso-tively. You got a beef with management? Talk to them before or after. Yell, scream, throw stuff… But when the lights go on and a large audience sitting at home is expecting to see you sitting in your usual chair — especially when your co-host is about to leave and you want to be there when the news is relayed to them during the show — you do what any 30-year veteran in broadcasting does. You show up.

Instead, according to Entertainment Tonight, Ripa reportedly is going to sit out (See: pout) at least for the rest of the week.

If I’m ABC, I tell her to take the rest of the month off while she’s at it. Because as she’ll learn quite quickly if this ends up with her back on the open market, there won’t be too many other networks willing to pay her 36k per episode to do the kind program like the one she’s currently lucky enough to have.

Does she have a right to protest over the way this went down regarding her co-host?

Yes.

But show up next time. Then protest in private…

Kelly Ripa should really know better.

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Follow Joe Concha on Twitter @JoeConchaTV

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.