'She Hasn’t Forgotten’: Regis Philbin Told Kathie Lee Gifford Secrets About Kelly Ripa Feud Before His Death
Sep. 28 2022, Published 7:00 p.m. ET
Regis Philbin shared all the secrets about his feud with Kelly Ripa to Kathy Lee Gifford before his death, RadarOnline.com has learned.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Ripa, 50, has been making the rounds promoting her new book Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories — where she spilled about Philbin.
In the book, Ripa claimed there were “bad days” on set and Philbin did not always make her feel comfortable.
The ex-soap star took over the co-hosting spot from Kathie Lee Gifford in 2001. Gifford worked with Philbin from 1998 to 2000. He eventually stepped down in 2011. Philbin passed away in July 2020.
Following his death, a somber Gifford appeared on the Today show to talk about the death of her longtime co-host and close friend, who’d died of heart disease at age 88, three days earlier.
Through tears, Gifford recalled the last time she’d seen the legendary TV star. “That will forever be a precious gift the Lord gave me that I got to laugh again with one of my best friends in all my lifetime,” she recalled.
Shortly after, Ripa dedicated that day’s episode of the show she used to host with the TV legend, now called Live with Kelly and Ryan to her old sparring partner.
“Regis is one of the people that we all believed, I think, would somehow figure out a way around the inevitable,” she said. Both were touching tributes to a man beloved for decades.
However, sources close to Philbin scoffed at Ripa’s tribute. “Kelly turned her back on Regis after he left the show, and Kathie Lee’s well-aware of that,” explained the insider. “Kelly could never really compete with the bond Kathie Lee had with Regis, and Kelly still resents her for it.”
The bad blood between Ripa and Gifford goes way back. Ripa started ruffling feathers as soon as she joined the hit morning show, said a second source.
As Gifford’s replacement, the former All My Children actress “made it her mission to erase any presence of her predecessor, said the source, adding that Ripa banned Gifford from the set and had all her photos removed backstage.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Philbin admitted in 2017 that he and Ripa had lost contact once he retired. “She got very offended when I left,” he told Larry King. “She thought I was leaving because of her. I was leaving because I was getting older and it wasn’t right for me anymore.”
Simply put, an insider told us, “Kelly stabbed him in the back.” That rift left some wondering whether Ripa’s on-air reaction to his death was played up or the cameras.
Regis was well-known in the industry for being a stand-up guy, and the source said he never spoke a bad word about Ripa to Gifford. “He didn’t trash her, but he told Kathie Lee everything,” revealed a source. And Gifford hasn’t forgotten. “She knows all the secrets, and she’ll always be loyal to Regis,” the source added. “If you mess with Regis, you mess with Kathie Lee.”
A source close to Ripa denied the drama with Gifford. The insider added, “Kelly insists that she adored Regis, and that any suggestion otherwise is cruel and untrue.”