All My Children
ABC Executives Acknowledge They "Misfired" On How Kelly Ripa Found Out About Michael Strahan's Exit!

Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com
The ABC suits have now apparently apologized to former All My Children star and co-host of Live with Kelly and Michael, Kelly Ripa!
According to reports on Monday, top executives at Disney and ABC, which include: Ben Sherwood, president of the Disney-ABC Television Group, ABC stations president Rebecca Campbell, and ABC News president James Goldston personally apologized to Kelly Ripa for last week’s bungled announcement about the departure of her co-host Michael Strahan.
Come September, Strahan is moving from “Live,” which is overseen by Campbell, to “GMA,” which is overseen by Goldston.
CNN reports that the bosses apologized to Strahan too. The apology also extended to the Hollywood agents who represent the co-hosts. ABC executives expressed regret for the way Ripa found out the news.
Ripa was informed after last Tuesday’s episode and 30 minutes before the news got out that Strahan quit “Live!” for a full time gig at “GMA” As for Campbell, who now also oversees General Hospital and is based in California, sheflew to New York to manage Ripa’s return on Tuesday. Dave Davis, who now runs WABC, is the other executive involved. Campbell used to run WABC in New York where Live with Kelly and Michael‘s studio resides.
So, doesn’t this bring up memories of Susan Lucci finding out about All My Children shortly before they announced to the rest of the cast and to the world that the show had been canceled? Did the ABC executives do right by apologizing to Kelly … or is to little too late? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!
Well, at least they DID apologize, but this should never have happened in the first place!
The ABC higher-ups are a bunch of idiots if they thought they were handling this well. Not the way to treat a long-term company employee, but as with most large corporations these days, the suits care about nothing the the almighty $$…and the employees be damned!
They are the WORST network. CBS at least appreciates their daytime lineup. ABC continually gives it the back of their hand.
Looks bad for ABC. Makes GMA look desperate. I’m with Kelly on this one–and I loved her closing comment about her father (a busdriver for 30 years) thinking they were all ”crazy.’ Certainly brought reality to the who debacle, didn’t it?
Good point about her Dad.
It does indeed remind me of The Susan Lucci saga. I’m glad ABC apologized. Now they need to clean up their mess and Kelly’s slightly tarnished reputation. (Although, I was Team Kelly all the way. I would have reacted the same way.)
It’s a MUCH bigger issue than that. ABC wants to take away LIVE’s established hour and extend GMA with a third hour. Not only will Strahan host that hour for GMA, but the real question is, what happens to LIVE? What about Kelly? Why would ABC mess with a show like LIVE that is doing well? ABC Daytime’s latest executive shuffle is starting to wreak havoc in a very messy, irrevocably dangerous manner.
What about Kelly?? The way she reacted is prime example. She did not start this show and she does not sign Michael Strahan’s pay check. Anyone else would have been fired. I hope they do cancel the show now. Serves her right.
Well at least some of the ego driven upper management of the CBS & Disney group had the maturity to apologize to both Kelly and Michael.
The thing that bothers me is that Michael didn’t just tell them to shove the idea of keeping Kelly in the dark about his leaving Live when he was told to keep quiet. After all it was assumed they were on good terms as co-hosts. Although I have noticed since Michael was flying back and forth from LA to NYC for GMA and Live, he was less focused on Live and probably due to being tired with the flying back and forth. Seemed asinine to take the GMA job in the first place as he must have been making a good salary there. The gender disparity in the TV industry and which extends to the film industry is discouraging when looking at salaries, how the men will work as they age even if overweight and wrinkled as opposed to the women. With the salaries being so different too, it’s speaks to such a lack of respect for the talents, the inherent worth of the women in this entertainment world. This incident is just another example of the range of disrespect toward women. It’s as if they have no worth really and it’s all the ‘man’s world’ and decisions are made without any concern for the lack of equality. The equality is certainly deserved when it comes to Kelly Ripa. She has made Live the show it is today. This past week, with the guest hosts and Strahan made the show absolutely ‘limp’ and not the show it is with Kelly. I believe the management should not only apologize to both Kelly and Michael but also give them both a cash payment for the discomfort they caused them both. And maybe since the entertainment world is all about money, a loss to Disney and CBS would give them pause to revamp their attitude toward women in the business. Shame on them and shame on Michael for agreeing to their demand to be silent about quitting Live. I wish Kelly the best and hope she has the respect now she should have had all along.
So Michael should have gone against his boss and told Kelly. What a crock. Respect goes a long way but it does not put food on your table and it sure does not pay your bills. I am so sick of the way Kelly reacted like a brat. There is a replacement for everyone, including her. Just saying
While I do appreciate a difference of opinion may I point out that Kelly has years of experience working at Live, not Michael. He was a football player for goodness sakes and happens to have had the opportunity to do some sports announcing. He is not an actor, he’s never had to host a live on-air show himself, as Kelly has done when with Regis. Are you aware the same backhandedness occurred when Regis announced his retirement. Kelly was told just 20 minutes before she went on air that morning. Before Kelly was on Live she had been an actor on All My Children with the scripts, long hours, short filming of scenes which all made her the consummate choice when Kathy-Lee left Live. She was a fantastic choice for Live when that occurred years ago now. I recall when she had to ‘do’ the show alone for the first time without Regis and yes, it was certain she was nervous, but her outgoing personality, her honestly and quick humour (which shows intelligence, if you aren’t aware) won over audiences and still does. Anyone who has a huge secret kept from them when there was no real reason NOT to tell the person (and what exactly WAS the reason Kelly wasn’t told – never did have a clear understanding of that despite the media coverage) caused Kelly to feel hurt (and yes, even people on TV have feelings and SHOULD HAVE an expectation of being respected for who they are on the job and also in the relationships they have with the others on a show including management. It was that lack of respect which I found most offensive since it occurs in all levels of the working world. As a nurse who trained in the 1970’s, graduated when Doctors were treated like the God’s they thought they were at the time, over many years – say at least 20, that patriarchal power slowly disappeared when nurses and other staff realized there was a need for equality, a need for respect for the majority of women who were in the hospital workforce. As our education increased, our responsibilities increased (due to doctors deciding they didn’t want to ‘do’ certain procedures, etc.) and thus our voice as a group and individually was more respected until in many areas of a hospital, like Critical Care units, the RN especially was able to work as an equal in such areas. It was a needed and welcome change. As for Kelly, the comments she made when she returned to work were absolutely correct – this was a matter of a lack of respect for her in her job at Life for what over 15 years? Other women in the entertainment world have experienced the lack of being treated equally as men and it’s well known the disparity in salaries exists to today. At a screenwriter’s workshop, I remember Sandy Dennis, director of the movie, My American Cousin, telling us it took her 14 years of pitching to male directors the script. Although it was an excellent one, as the success of the movie proved, she was told over 100 times that as a women she may as well forget the idea of making the movie. She was doggedly determined and succeeded in the face of knowing had she been a man pitching a script, she’d have been treated with appreciation for her talents. She even alluded to the old adage and I suspect the true comment about women needing to ‘be’ on the Director’s couch to land a role. In her case it was for her to have a script accepted as valid and worth investing the dollars into what turned out to be a very, very successful film. So, same goes for Kelly. She needed to make herself heard about this appalling treatment of a host of a long-time show of which SHE is the primary host. The status she has achieved deserves much more then the short-sighted management staff and even Michael offered her and the apologies offered a week later proved she wasn’t wrong in her outrage. So, despite the comment by yourself above, I do disagree and disagree strongly. As a personal note, as a (now retired) former Critical Care RN, I had over 15 years extra education of taking part-time courses, on top of achieving a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing which took me 5 1/2 years as worked full time and took courses each semester by distance education) meant that I had much more education than say a resident doctor training at our hospital. IF at anytime such a resident tried to make me or any other nurse in our unit feel LESS THAN, we were able to RESPECTFULLY point out the extent of our education and experience to that resident and the fact that he, or she, would be advised to realize what they can learn from us. Same for Michael Strahan, he ‘learned’ how to BE a host on Live because of Kelly and thus has now changed jobs for working at GMA in the future full time. So, he did deserve to be more respectful than he was to his mentor. It was not the other way around. That’s all, but I hope this reply gives you pause for thought and gives you more insight, especially if you are a younger woman and have grown up (so far) not very aware of how women have had to work hard for the respect in the workforce which exists today. Read some historical non-fiction about women in the early 1900’s. It may shock you to realize how things were back then for women even just in the entertainment world. Check back if you do the reading and tell me if your opinion doesn’t shift.
They made her look bad.. She fed into it by her not so professional reaction… Now everyone’s scrambling days before her return and she and Strahan will make a big joke out of it c come Tuesday.. Like hee hee so that happened..
ABC management has not improved one bit since they mistakenly cancelled All My Children and One Life to Live. Nobody is looking at the big picture–ever. They just want a quick fix. I predict Michael Strahan will be a complete failure at GMA.
Which is why their daytime lineup has been falling apart.
Yes!
It was so disrespectful to Kelly…she was blindsided & that’s never a good feeling.I’m sure if Michael had his way it would have been done differently.It’s really sad when those in charge stop thinking of their employees as people & just see them as the almighty dollar.
Network executives are among the most venal and stupid creatures on Earth.If the programmers at ABC want to free up an hour in the morning cancel that execrable embarrassment – the View and do the country a favor by taking that polluted, nasty,sick mess off the air.
and get rid of the Chew while you’re at it.
I love the Chew, ratings are up. The show is terrific and it got renewed again.
I hate The Chew–their recipes suck and the loonies which run the show are annoying as heck.
ABC is owned by Disney. They care about movies first, sports, primetime and then their parks. The LAST thing they care about is daytime! What they did to AMC and OLTL is a disgrace! They put actors out of work and screwed over the fans! The only reason they are kissing Kelly’s behind is because there is MONEY to be made on her show. They will keep her and enjoy ALL the press and the ratings will be huge come this September!
Kelly should be looking elsewhere for a new job. That’s what they told amc and oltl cast and crew that they were devoted and committed to the shows. Soon after, they were cancelled. Kelly said she worked for this company for 26 years. She deserved the same respect and consideration. I’m sure erika sleazak and susan Lucci deserved the same respect and consideration after over 40 years of their commitment and professionalism. I’m so glad kelly was given an apology. However to me, this is just another example of why the alphabet network is run by a bunch of liars and can’t withstand another backlash from fans. My advice to kelly ripa: watch out and don’t trust those abc exs. they say they are not cancelling live for another hour of gma but never say never.
I agree with you JP. And you know Susan Lucci was a better actress than Kelly is.
I personally hope she’s the kind to carry a grudge—if it were me, I definitely would.
She seem to be carrying a really huge grudge, She is being a bitch.
Corporations have always disrespected employees. There’s a psychology, a manipulative one, where they call you “family” and impart an “us” mentality. But where they expect an employee to give at least two weeks notice if he or she wants to quit, they give no such notice if they want to fire you. You can be gone from your “family” the same day.
In that same vein, they can move you around the family, make “executive” decisions and don’t feel a need to inform you, until it suits their interests. It’s hierarchal power. Perhaps they thought Kelly would be unhappy with the decision and too much advance notice would dampen their on air rapport. Not agreeing with their methods but no doubt Kelly will act her perky role once again.
I totally agree with all the comments above. After Kelly gave her speech this morning, the first thing that came to mind was Susan Lucci. I don’t have much faith in what Disney says after that debacle. I support Kelly all the way!
I was glad to hear Kelly discuss this today on air. She has been assured that LIVE will be a priority. I took that to mean that it is still an active show, and the rumors about it being done away with are not true. We will have to wait and see. Glad to have the air cleared. And apologies made.
I wonder if this could all be a publicity stunt? Ever since the invention of Photo Shop and social media, I cannot believe much anymore.
Oh, gimme a break already!!!!! The only reason that Disney-ABC ‘apologized’ to Kelly Ripa is because Kelly (and Michael) bring in HUGE RATINGS (or whatever) to ‘Live’. Those idiots at Disney-ABC are fooling N-O O-N-E!!!!!
Unless you have the legal right to know something, don’t be surprised to find something out right along with the general public. The truth is, you’re really not that special (not to the executives anyway), regardless of how long you’ve been at your job. It’s just business (Kelly Ripa, Susan Lucci, and all the other fired soap stars). Stop acting entitled. It’s not very attractive. It just makes you look like a big drama queen.
I have not seen the LIVE show, or anything else on the alphabet network, since the last day One Life to Live aired; but, this situation demonstrates once again that the alphabet network and mouse company are not to be trusted. They have ZERO respect, commitment, concern for their employees or their audience.
Still waiting for ABC/D to apologize for canceling AMC & OLTL!!
I am with you Linda, ABC will never admit there mistake in cancelling AMC & OLTL. I hope ABC choke on it. We lost 2 wonderful soaps, bad Karma is coming for Brian Frons and nobody can replace AMC and OLTL. The replacement shows all failed except the Chew, which is still on.
Too little, too late! They didn’t care about her feelings and did what they wanted – as usual. This is who they are. Dirtbags. And shame on Michael for going along with it!
Of course the executives are going to apologize AFTER the public lashed out at them.
Michael’s last day will be May 13th!
Thank God, Michael was really annoying. He talks like Mike Tyson Lol. Kelly Ripa god bless her, she has a good attitude about this mess. She is a class act and love that she is back on air.
Yeah I can’t wait til he is gone!
Doesn’t that seem appropriate? LOL!
Understandably, she thought they were going to eventually pull the plug on the show. They should have had the decency to talk to her about this decision, and assure her that the show would go on. Yes, it brings up the issue about respect and communication in workplaces. These are people’s lives and livelihoods – workplaces should be held accountable to treat people with dignity and respect.
I agree with Andy Cohen when he said ” So I can’t get over that he left Live! where he was co-hosting Live! With Kelly and Michael. Your Name Is in the Freakin’ Title! He left and went to GMA. He is now one of five people sitting at that crowded anchor desk. What happens if the ratings don’t go up?” I wonder if ABC pressured MS? IMO … Those suits are clueless?
That’s what I kept thinking too. Not to mention, MORE work. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has to go on location. Not a good move when you already have a short, steady, and LUCRATIVE job. But what do I know?
Why would Michael leave a show where he is 1 of 2 co-hosts that has his name in the title – for a show that has so many anchors?
Maybe there are going to be changes in “Live”. Management did not let the fans in on cancelling All My Children and One Life to Live. Just saying…
At this point, I don’t care. Too many other important issues going on for me to worry about it.
Wonder if she got any perks or money with the apology.
My theory that this is a PUBLICITY STUNT is building. That entertainment show with that guy that used to be on The Tonight Show as Ross the Intern showed a photo of Kelly Ripa coming out of her home with Anderson Cooper’s book in her hands and they made a point to mention that you could clearly see his face on the book. They also say that he is in the lead to be her new cohost.
I am not much of a conspiracy theorist but this really has publicity stunt written all over it.
Hmmmm … interesting thought Chrystie. Somethings that wouldn’t jive with that is 1) I would think that this would be a step down for Anderson Cooper unless he would do both shows (AC360 & Live)? I am not in the entertainment industry – so I could be wrong? 2) Kelly sure seemed pretty upset Tuesday. The ABC suits did the same thing to her when Regis left.
I agree that out of respect for her 26 years with the company and the fact that she is the only other co-host and the primary co-host, the professional thing to do was to give her a little notice. It looks like MS was doing what he was told.
I cannot believe that the top guns at ABC would do such a stupid thing as not to tell Kelly and Gelman about Michael Strahan leaving. What a mess for Michael to be left with! Unbelievable how ABC operates!
Isabelle Mckay
All My Children
‘All My Children’ Episodes to Stream on Pluto TV Canada
Starting on May 1, All My Children fans in Canada will be able to see classic episodes of the beloved former ABC soap opera when they stream on Pluto TV Canada.
Pluto TV picked-up the All My Children Channel that the Nixon family has created in partnership with BEONDTV +. The show which aired for 41 years on ABC and ended on the network in 2011, had so many memorable storylines and characters; the least of which is the enduring run of Erica Kane played by soap icon, Susan Lucci.
As previously reported, starting with episodes from the year 1995, which was the 25th anniversary of the soap. Pluto TV Canada viewers will be able to catch 8 episodes on repeat per day. With the success of the venture, the Nixons are hopeful that they will bring viewers many more years of the show to come.

Photo: ABC
Sarah Nixon, producer, shared with Michael Fairman TV exclusively, “We are thrilled that Pluto TV has launched All My Children in Canada! Let’s hope the engagement from our incredibly loyal fans across the border will encourage ABC to bring it to the U.S.! We share what Aggie (Agnes Nixon) always felt, that it is the enthusiasm and love from the fans that has kept this legacy beloved and relevant – to this day!”
In addition, 0ne week ago, during Susan Lucci’s visit to Los Angeles promoting her book La Lucci, she was joined by her former Pine Valley castmates, Rebecca Budig (ex-Greenlee, AMC, now Taylor, B&B) and Eva LaRue (ex-Maria, AMC) and the trio posed for a pic. At that time, LaRue shared via Instagram, “NEW All My Children channel streaming classic episodes 24/7 now on Pluto TV Canada! Fingers crossed to watch soon on Pluto US.”
That was also confirmed this week by TV Watercooler’s Jeevan Brar who took to X and expressed, “The All My Children channel begins streaming this Friday, May 1 on Pluto TV Canada.
So, Canadian viewers, excited about Pluto TV’s All My Children channel? United States fans, hopeful from Sarah’s message that perhaps soon, we can see the beloved soap once again as well? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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All My Children
Mark Consuelos Mourns the Loss of His Father
Saul Consuelos, the father of All My Children alum and Live with Kelly and Mark co-host, Mark Consuelos (ex0-Mateo, AMC), has died. During an emotional moment on this mornings, April 6 edition of the syndicated talk show, Mark shared, that his dad, “passed away peacefully” back on March 23 following a long illness.
His wife and co-host, Kelly Ripa (ex-Hayley, AMC) paid tribute to her her father-in-law expressing, he was, “the greatest person I’ve ever known. I can honestly say I will miss him every day for the rest of my life, as I know you will, as our children will. He really is so symbolic of everything you are.”
Kelly and Mark’s children, Joaquin, Michael and Lola Consuelos are said to be taking this extremely hard. Ripa added, “This is the first loss they’ve ever experienced in their lives. And I said, ‘By the time I was 8, I had no grandparents. You got to grow up (with grandparents). You got to have deep, meaningful conversations (with them).”

Photo: KRipaIG
In another moment, Mark reflected on his dad. “It’s funny, I used to make a joke about my dad … if you asked him what time it was, he would tell you how to build a watch. There were a lot of lectures, a lot of lectures and I learned so much. If he was fixing something in the house, he’d make me watch and do it. And I didn’t know at the time why he was doing that. But now at the house, I’m able to do at least half of the stuff that he did. I learned the most by just watching him.”
Mark added that Saul Consuelos came to the U.S. from Mexico in his early teens and served our county for decades, detailing, he “Ended up at Special Operations Command in Tampa. This young kid from Mexico just got his education from the navy. Was always going to school. Was brilliant. Got his Masters while I was a kid. He loved his country so much, If you’re going to put a face to an immigrant, he would be the prime example of what this country promises people.”
In a very heart-tugging moment, Consuelos shared that now its important they be there for his mother, Camilla. “We gotta take care of mom. We’re trying to convince my mom to move to New York. She’s such a character, she’s stubborn. What do you think, a cooking segment here on Fridays with Camilla?”
Now below, watch the very touching and emotional moments as Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa mourn the loss of Saul Consuelos.
Let us know, what you thought of the remarks made by Kelly and Mark on the death of Mark’s father via he comment section.
All My Children
Sarah Michelle Gellar Visits ‘The View’ Where Hosts Sidestep Controversial ‘Buffy’ Reboot Axing, But Talk ‘All My Children’
On yesterday’s March 17 episode of The View, All My Children alum, Sarah Michelle Gellar (ex-Kendall Hart), was the special guest. Since Monday, Gellar has been the subject of a hot-button issue since about the surprising turn of events that the highly-anticipated Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot, in which she stars, and which was directed in the pilot by Oscar-winning director, Chloé Zhao, was no longer moving forward.
Gellar‘s appearance on the ABC morning talk show was devoid of any mention of Hulu cancelling its planned Buffy: New Sunnydale, in which Sarah was set to appear along with Ryan Kiera Armstrong. However, Gellar did discuss her new movie Ready or Not 2: Here I Come from Searchlight Pictures.
It should be noted that both Hulu and Searchlight Pictures are owned by The Walt Disney Company, while The View is produced by ABC News, which is also owned by The Walt Disney Company.

Courtesy/ABC
During the awkward interview, when it became clear the ‘Buffy’ reboot topic was off the table, The View co-host Sunny Hostin, talked about the “intense fight scenes” that have become a staple of her TV and film career starting with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Scream 2, and I Know What You Did Last Summer.
The ladies of The View also brought up Sarah’s beginnings on All My Children as Kendall Hart (1993-1995), showing a scene with her and her on-screen mother, the iconic Erica Kane, played by Susan Lucci. The discussion sprung out of another All My Children alum, Michael B. Jordan (ex-Reggie Montgomery) winning the Oscar this past Sunday for Best Actor for his role in Sinners. The View’s Joy Behar was quick to point out with Gellar, the All My Children alums that have gone on to great fame.

Photo: ABC
Previously on Monday, Gellar opened up to PEOPLE about being blindsided before while at the SXSW Film & TV Festival premiere for Ready or Not 2: Here I Come. “I got the call as we were stepping onto stage for the premiere of their own movie. And it’s also the weekend of Chloé going to the Oscars as a best director nominee for Hamnet. For them to call us on the Friday of what should have been Chloé’s victory lap for an incredible film, and my world premiere of something that I worked very hard for is… that says something.”
She went to say, “We had an executive on our show who was not only not a fan of the original, but was proud to constantly remind us that he had never seen the entirety of the series and how it wasn’t for him.” Deadline reports that “multiple sources” identified the executive as Disney Television Group President Craig Erwich.
“I loved the duality that we had with this new, younger slayer who was where Buffy was when the show started, and then we would pick up with where Buffy was now,” Gellar told People about the setup. However, according also to Deadline “After the pilot was completed and delivered, according to multiple sources, Hulu’s main note was that it played too young, with some indicating that the streamer also felt the show was too “small.”’
In the rewrite, sources also told the outlet that the writers did not take big enough swings, so they set out to do a rewrite it again. The last revision was more adult, featuring a lot more of Gellar’s Buffy, and was described as a more of a streaming show than a network one. When all is said and done there is hope that another Buffy IP will be up and running within the next couple of years.
You can check out Sarah Michelle Gellar’s full segment on The View below. Now let us know, bummed there is no Buffy reboot? What do you think about how this high profile Hollywood saga was side-stepped on the morning show? Did you love Sarah as the original Kendall Hart on All My Children? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
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