Longtime ‘Live!’ Executive Producer Praises Kelly Ripa’s Reign on Daytime TV: ‘She Feels Like She’s Your Friend’
variety.comElizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Kelly Ripa first appeared on morning TV when she was a soap star on “All My Children.” At that time, she was being booked as a guest on “Live With Regis & Kathie Lee” by a young executive producer, Michael Gelman, who eventually helped cast her in a lead role, replacing Kathie Lee Gifford in 2001 to co-host with Regis Philbin.
More than 22 years later, Ripa and Gelman are still working together every day on “Live!” which has continued on as one of the greatest successes in television history, currently reigning as the top daytime talk show in syndication. “She had that ‘wow factor’ as a guest,” Gelman tells Variety, reminiscing on when he first met a 20-something Ripa in the ’90s.
Gelman attributes much of the show’s success to Ripa’s relatability and keen understanding of the talk show format, which she has mastered for over two decades. “She feels like she’s your friend,” says Gelman, an executive producer of “Live!” since 1987 who has become a character known to the show’s audience throughout the years.
As Ripa is one of Variety‘s Power of Women honorees, Gelman sat down to discuss the star’s long-running success — and future — on morning TV. Do you remember the first time you met Kelly? Gelman: We started booking Kelly when she was on a soap opera, and I remember that she was really high energy, had this bubbly personality and was just great off the cuff.
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