Our Favorite Comedian
Ellen and Kelly need no introduction, but let's see how well you know them. Ellen DeGeneres rose to fame as a stand-up comedian and ended up starring in her own sitcom, Ellen. That's when she became a household name across the world.
She came out as gay in her own show and became an LGBTQ+ activist. Just when she was at the peak of her career, she became the host of her own talk-show, the award-winning The Ellen DeGeneres Show. But what about Ripa?
From Soap Opera Star To Talk Show Host
Just like DeGeneres, Kelly Ripa is a woman of many talents. She rose to fame as a soap-opera star during the early 90s, especially for her role in All My Children, though it wasn't until the early 2000s that she really hit it off.
Just like Ellen, Ripa decided to leave her acting days behind and become a talk-show host. In 2004, she began co-hosting the morning show Live! with Kelly and Ryan. But let's get straight to the point: when and why did two of America's favorite talk-show hosts get into a quarrel?
How It All Began
Rumor has it that it all began when Ellen DeGeneres invited Ripa Kelly's former co-host Michael Strahan to her show. But why did that bother Ripa so much? Was that all it took to spark a feud between them?
Well, it turns out that at the time, Strahan was Ripa's number one arch-nemesis. Therefore, when Ellen had him over at her show, she definitely wasn't amused. But in order to have a broader picture of what really happened, let's explore why Ripa and Strahan became enemies in the first place.
Live! With Kelly And Michael
Michael Strahan is a former football player that became a media personality after retiring from the NFL in 2007. In 2012, he began hosting Live! With Kelly and Michael alongside Kelly Ripa.
However, their relationship went downhill in 2016 after Strahan abruptly decided to leave the show and start his own gig at Good Morning America.
She Was Blind-Sided
Apparently, Stahan told Ripa he would be leaving the show just a few minutes before making it public. Ripa felt it was disloyal of him to communicate his decision without further notice, especially considering she had helped him become the media star he is today.
Such was her anger, that Ripa didn't go back to work for the rest of the week. As she told The New York Times, she felt she was "blind-sided".
What Did Strahan Say?
Strahan, however, was very professional about it. Instead of adding fuel to the fire, he only said good things about his former co-host and the relationship between them.
> "My time with Live! With Kelly and Michael has been transformative, and my departure will be bittersweet. Kelly has been an unbelievable partner, and I am so thankful to her and the entire team", Strahan told The Washington Post.
The Endless Feud
Grahan's words of conciliation really left fans wondering who was to blame for the feud. Had Grahan been unthoughtful in the way he left the show or was Ripa being a drama queen?
While it's hard to take sides, one thing is for sure, and it's that Ripa was furious. So much so, that four years later, the feud between them is still unfolding, to the point in which Ellen DeGeneres got involved. But how did that happen?
Silent Treatment
Ripa made it clear that she had felt betrayed by Grahan more than once. "I felt hurt and betrayed on so many levels", she said in an interview.
And according to a few tabloids, whenever she gives someone the silent treatment, she expects all of her friends and colleagues to do the same. And that's how DeGeneres came into the picture.
The Spark That Lit The Bonfire
In October 2017, Ellen DeGeneres invited Michael Strahan to her talk show, thus allegedly sparking a feud between her and Ripa. But did Ellen intentionally have him over just for the sake of sparking off a feud?
According to Star, Ripa told the press that she felt "betrayed", and according to Gossip Cop, "[Ellen] cozying up with Michael was like telling the world she had taken his side".
Who's To Believe?
Most of DeGeneres' and Ripa's fans seriously doubted that there had been bad intentions behind Ellen's actions, but according to Star, the interview had been "cooked up by the duo as a way to stick it to Kelly".
According to the outlet's questionable publication, DeGeneres soon regretted her actions and went on to ask for Ripa's forgiveness, hoping to "bury the hatchet". But are these sources fully reliable? Did any of the two hosts make any public remark on the issue?
Doubtful Sources
In spite of all the rumors, a source close to DeGeneres confirmed Gossip Cop that Star's story was totally fake, and that even though Ripa was pissed, they weren't on such bad terms.
Gossip Cop's insider also doubted Star's assertion that DeGeneres pleaded for forgiveness. According to this undisclosed source, DeGeneres never asked Ripa for forgiveness, basically because the feud never existed in the first place.
Not The First Time
However, there are reasons to believe that these rumors are questionable, to say the least. In fact, if they were false, it wouldn't be the first time that Star made up a false story about our favorite talk-show host.
Just a couple of years ago, the magazine falsely stated that DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi would be filing for a $400-million divorce and that Rossi had dumped her for a man. It wasn't long before the world discovered it was nothing but gossip.
Nobody Buys It
But the story of DeGeneres and de Rossi's divorce wasn't the only false rumor spread by Star. In 2016, the magazine falsely alleged that DeGeneres was going through a "health crisis", when actually this was far from true.
Therefore, we have enough reasons to believe that DeGeneres did never actually "feel bad" for having Strahan in her show, as Star claimed, nor did she feel sorry for her "betrayal".
What If It's True?
But, on the other hand, this whole story isn't so hard to believe. After all, it wouldn't be the first time that DeGeneres offended another star in the industry.
Several anonymous sources have claimed that DeGeneres doesn't treat the writers of her show in the best of ways. There are also stories of her being at odds with other A-list stars, like Mark Ruffalo and Drew Barrymore.
DeGeneres Vs. Barrymore
Unlike her alleged fight with Ripa, DeGeneres' feud with fellow actress Drew Barrymore has been confirmed by many media outlets. It all began when both stars decided to team up and co-host the NBC reality TV show First Dates.
DeGeneres was to be the show's executive director, whereas Barrymore signed on as narrator. However, it wasn't long before tensions arose.
They Never Got Along
According to a source from Touch Weekly, "Ellen expected to be the one calling the shots, but Drew thinks she should have creative control because she's the movie star people are tuning in to see".
DeGeneres and Barrymore never managed to get along well, and many people believe that this one of the main reasons why the show never took off. But this is not all!
Ripa Has Had Her Fair Share Of Fights
Enough about DeGeneres... what about Ripa? While DeGeneres doesn't get along with everyone in the industry, Ripa has also been involved in her fair share of celebrity feuds.
Years before her fight with Strahan sparked off, the famous host faced off with another famous media personality: Regis Philbin. Does anyone remember what happened?
Same Story, Different Man
Philbin was one of America's top A-list TV stars, and for good reason. When his co-host Kathie Lee Gifford left the show, Ripa took her place.
But while they were all smiles on-camera, rumor spread that the two would always fight behind-the-scenes. Things got worse when Philbin decided to leave the show without even telling Ripa in person. If you think about it, it's kind of like what happened between her and Grahan!
Long List Of Celebrity Feuds
But that wasn't the only time Ripa was involved in a celebrity feud. She also got into a fight with Bachelor host Chris Harrison after publicly claiming that the show disgusted her.
This other time, actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell called Ripa "mean" after accusing her of gay-bashing. Her feud with fellow host Megyn Kelly is also worth mentioning. And the list goes on...
Time Will Tell
On the one hand, it's evident that Ripa doesn't get along well with other TV hosts. Strahan, Philbin, Harrison, Kelly, O'Donnell, and now DeGeneres... who will be next?
On the other hand, neither of them have openly admitted their alleged feud, so there's a high chance it was all celebrity gossip. How about you? What do you think happened? I guess time will tell whether or not it was all true!