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Will Kelly Ripa Leave ‘Live’ Unless Andy Cohen Is Her Cohost?

By Georgia Makitalo
Published on: 08:46 PST, Apr 29, 2016

Is Kelly Ripa leaving Live! following Michael Strahan’s big announcement?

Sources close to Ripa says she is talking about leaving the show because she feels “blindsided” by the departure of cohost Michael Strahan. Ripa received the unexpected news of Strahan’s departure only moments before the April 19 announcement on the show. Us Magazine reports that the entire experience has given Ripa feeling of “disrespect,” although Tuesday she publicly acknowledged that apologies have been made.

The producers of the show are frantically looking for a suitable cohost to prevent Kelly Ripa leaving Live!. There is already an extensive list of cohosts that Ripa has enjoyed working alongside. The search for a new cohost is now doubly accelerated as Strahan’s final day on the show will be on May 13, four months earlier than his original September departure from Live!. People Magazine reported that a source close to the show has already named some possible replacements for Strahan.

“Expect to see people like Anderson Cooper, Andy Cohen, Josh Groban and Seth Meyers. They all came on a lot last time and she loved them. She is really close with Anderson and Andy and she loves them. But she’s open to trying a bunch of different people. It was clear she really liked the process last time.”

So to prevent Kelly Ripa leaving Live!, there will have to be more extensive search for an equally comparable cohost to satisfy the disrespected Ripa. The 15-year veteran of the popular weekday talk show only wants to work with one of her best friends such as the busy host of Watch What Happens Live, Andy Cohen or popular CNN journalist Anderson Cooper. Unfortunately for Ripa, both men already have full schedules and are under contract to their perspective stations.

“Unless one of them can come on, she doesn’t really want to do it.”

Right now, the show’s producers need to prevent Kelly Ripa leaving Live! Most likely, they need to find a way to keep her interested in staying with the show even if neither of her preferred pals cannot cohost alongside her. According the Us Magazine source, Ripa will only be appeased by being paired up with Andy Cohen or Anderson Cooper. This cohost drama has most likely caused a great deal of mistrust that Ripa most likely has to overcome in order to feel comfortable with anyone replacing Strahan. It is understandable that she wants a cohost that she already knows and trusts.

Now the race is on to prevent Kelly Ripa Leaving Live!. As with Regis Philbin’s departure five years ago, there will be an assortment of cohosts working alongside Kelly Ripa, with hopes that instant onscreen chemistry will ensue. According to the unnamed People Magazine source, the producers are determined to keep trying to find a potential permanent cohost no matter how long the process could take.

“Who knows how long it will take though. They’re prepared to keep cycling people through even if its not resolved by the fall.”

As the millions of fans of the show do not want want Kelly Ripa leaving Live!, they should be happy to see the stream of familiar faces sitting alongside Ripa on the show. There may even be a favorite potential cohost such as Mario Lopez that may change the dynamics of the show.

“The network does have a long roster of people who will step in to guest host.”

Hopefully there will soon be that one cohost that will help fan favorite Kelly Ripa move forward and stay on Live!.

Would you miss Kelly Ripa if she leaves Live!?

[Photo by Ben Gabbe/Getty Images]

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