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!
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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… Read more »
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
8 Years To The Day Of All My Children & One Life to Live Being Canceled; Still Considered By Many Worst Move For Daytime
It’s hard to believe that 8 years ago today on April 14th, 2011, the soap world, its fans, and the cast members, learned of the heartbreaking news that ABC, in one swift move, decimated its daytime line-up when they announced the cancellations of long running series, All My Children (which would end at its 41st year), and One Life to Live (which would ends its run in its 43rd year).
At the time, ABC announced it would move to more lifestyle/entertainment series to replace these dramas. In its place came The Chew and The Revolution, neither show is still on the air today. Executives at that time pointed to research saying that times are changing and that their decision was “guided by extensive research into what today’s daytime viewers want,” and blame, in part, “the changing viewing patterns of the audience” for the axing of AMC and OLTL
Then ABC Daytime President, Brian Frons had joked to Deadline about the big announcement that he: “Pre-entered the witness protection program prior to today’s events.” He added that “The demise of the two venerable soaps was actually a year in the making. A year ago, we started to look at our projections where the ratings for the soaps would go. When those projections came in pretty discouraging, the network began to aggressively develop replacement shows, 15 of them. Four of the 15 were picked up to pilot: The Chew and The Revolution and two others, a talk show and a dating show. Originally, the idea was to cancel only one daytime drama. The way the ratings developed and the pilots turned out, the ratings developed negatively and pilots developed positively, so we decided to make a bigger shift.” Of note is that when it went off the air, One Life to Live was in third place among its competitors in the ratings.
The press release that came with the cancellations stated: “To honor the core, passionate audience and their rich history both shows will conclude in a manner that respects their legacies and the longstanding hopes of many of their viewers.”
Following the cancellations daytime reeled. The mainstream was sure it meant the endings of the soaps, period. However, four shows illustrated that is not true at all. For Days of our Lives, General Hospital, The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless all remain, and still whether they are up or down in their numbers/ratings, they remain relevant and important to the enduring daytime viewing audience.
Sadly, as with any shows, the end of ABC’s AMC and OLTL meant loss of jobs for so many working in front of the camera and behind the scenes. One Life was the last soap opera in production in New York at the time. AMC was already being shot in LA to cut costs to save it.
Still in 2019, if you venture on to social media, especially Twitter, you see fans constantly missing its stars and the towns of Llanview and Pine Valley, wanting this wrong rectified. Although Prospect Park tried to revive the show with their online versions, eventually after legal battles that went on for a few years, ABC now retains the right to these properties,
The good news is that many favorites from AMC and OLTL have found success and been hired on other soap operas, bringing their followings with them, whether it be on-screen, or in the writing, producing, directing or crew departments.
So, do you think the loss of AMC and OLTL consolidated daytime and made the remaining shows stronger so they would not be touched or canceled? Do you think ABC should try to mount a resurrected AMC and OLTL or an amalgamation of the two? Do you remember where you were when you learned the two soaps were cancelled? Was this the worst misstep of all-time for daytime? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section below.
All My Children
George R. R. Martin’s “Leak” Of New Hulu Series WILD CARDS Featuring Eden Riegel, Thorsten Kaye. and Greg Rikkart
April Fool’s Day started off with a bang today when Eden Riegel (Ex-Bianca, AMC) posted a photo of herself with Thorsten Kaye (Ridge, B&B) and Greg Rikaart (Ex-Leo, DAYS) in a very intriguing image. See above pic! As it turns out, it’s said to be from behind the scenes from some leaked footage of the upcoming Hulu series, Wild Cards.
The premise of Wild Cards is based on the sci-fi anthology series edited by George R. R, Martin, best known for writing the “Song of Ice and Fire” novels, on which HBO’s Game of Thrones is based. Riegel’s husband, Andrew Miller is the showrunner attached to the upcoming series.
On Martin’s website he teases the set-up of the “leaked” video clip: “This was not supposed to go public.. Everybody (Well, everybody that has been paying attention knows that we are developing two Wild Cards as a series for Hulu Andrew Miller has taken the reins as showrunner, a writing staff has been hired, and they have been hard at work for months. What was NOT supposed to be known is how far they’ve come. Not only have some scripts been finished, but the first show has gone into production and has been shooting. That was supposed to be a deep dark secret, however. We wanted to surprise the world. It’s hard to keep secrets in Hollyweird, however. And now it appears that some of the rough footage has been leaked by person or persons unknown”
Meanwhile, Riegel sent out a series of tweets: “Hooo boy…cat’s out of the bag! Fans, please don’t judge our show based on these leaked videos!! The effects are going to knock your socks off. And my costars, @Iamthorstenkaye and @gregrikaart, are doing the best work of their lives!” That was followed by, T”hank you @GeorgeRRMartin_ for the chance to work with you on your first foray into soaps! I am humbled and honored. We won’t let you down.” And then, “I’m probably not allowed to share this with all the NDAs I signed, but damnit I’m just so proud of the #wildcardssoap team! think we are breaking new ground for soaps. So proud to work with you!”
Now below, check out the Wild Cards “leaked footage” and let us know if you think of the …. um … drama! Comment below. And one more thing … Happy April Fool’s!
All My Children
WATCH: All My Children Reunion On Strahan & Sara
On Monday’s episode of ABC’s Strahan & Sara, the show welcomed several stars of the beloved All My Children for a reunion, of sorts. Joining hosts Michael Strahan and Sara Haines were Susan Lucci (Erica), Walt Willey (Jack), Cady McClain (Dixie), Jacob Young (JR) and Jill Larson (Opal).
While it was wonderful to see the stars from Pine Valley again, it was also a painful reminder that this network, ABC, canceled the show, and had put in its place – The Chew, and now Strahan & Sara – since canning the series. In fact, as you will see on the clips below, many of the crew who work on this talk show were once the crew for All My Children.
During the segment, Susan Lucci was tested to see if she remembered all of Erica Kane’s wedded names. Later, Walt Willey and Susan re-created the final scene of the ABC version of All My Children between Erica and Jack, where Jack walks out on her. However, this time, they have Jack changing his mind and coming back to Erica and sealing their relationship with a kiss – a moment of closure that never happened (since the show moved to online via Prospect Park).
In addition, Cady McClain and Jacob Young re-created the infamous Dixie “dying from eating poison pancakes” scene, as JR watches his mother die, only this time she lives.
It’s always great to see these veteran performers, but Strahan & Sara is trying to capture the soap viewers to put eyeballs on their show by bringing in talent from the show that sadly and wrongly went off the air.
Watch the clips below from the All My Children reunion below. Then, let us know what you thought of it via the comment section below.
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Daytime Emmys To Merge Younger Actor & Actress Category Into One As Gender-Inclusive Categories Are On The Rise
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DAYS Promo: What’s Going To Happen At Jarlena’s Wedding Anniversary Shindig?
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Liam Realizes Beth Is Alive As Scott Clifton Delivers Heart-Tugging Performance
David Hedison, AW and Y&R Alum and Star of ‘Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea’ Dies At 92
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DAYS OF OUR LIVES: Jack Wants His Memory Back, But Do You Want Him To Reunite With Jennifer … Or Stay With Eve?
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As Chelsea Makes Her On-Screen Return On Y&R; Melissa Claire Egan Looks Back At Some Of Her Most Memorable Scenes
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THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Thomas’ Turn To The Dark Side Is Getting Creepier! What Is His Next Move?
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