Tensions at ABC continue to stay high amid the Kelly Ripa–Bachelorette drama, the latest being Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo‘s ferocious clapback to the dating show’s creator Mike Fleiss.
After Fleiss shaded Ripa for her negative comments about The Bachelorette — which she has been vocal about throughout her career — Pompeo made it clear that she wouldn’t stand for the TV heavyweight’s comments.
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On Wednesday, Fleiss tweeted, “Easy, Kelly Ripa … The Bachelor franchise pays your salary!” after Ripa called the dating series “gross” and “creepy” on her ABC-owned show, LIVE with Kelly and Ryan. Early Thursday, Pompeo shot back at Fleiss, writing, “Okay @flessmeister… that’s some handle bro! Your show does NOT pay @KellyRipa salary. Also we don’t attack successful women on our network and men certainly cannot take credit for their success. Don’t get me started on your show cuz I’m a savage.”
She took one final dig at the show’s long-criticized diversity problem, ending her tweet with the hashtag [Bachelor soooo white].
Moments later, Pompeo, who had been taking a mini social media hiatus told a follower, “Took a break but had to jump back in the ring for my girl [Kelly Ripa].”
Fleiss wasn’t the only one to slam Ripa’s criticism, however. Series host Chris Harrison also spoke out about it, tweeting, “Look out [Bachelor Nation] [Kelly Ripa] is coming after you and your ‘disgusting’ Monday night habit.”
The drama all started when Ripa and co-host Ryan Seacrest were discussing current Bachelorette Hannah Brown. “You guys, you know how I feel about that show. It disgusts me,” Ripa said. “I can’t stand the idea of 25 exceptional women fighting over one ordinary fella, in my opinion. You know how I feel, ladies. We are too special to be arguing over a guy.”
After the audience applauded her statement, she continued, “Having said that… All of you women watch that gross, gross show.”
She also addressed The Bachelorette itself, recalling that after The Bachelor premiered in 2002, “I was like, ‘How come they don’t have a woman with men fighting over her?’”
But when The Bachelorette did arrive a year later, Ripa told Seacrest, “I found that show just as creepy but in a completely different way. I was like, ‘Ew, eww, ewww.’”
On Thursday, the drama continued when Brown appeared on LIVE with Kelly and Ryan to address Ripa’s comments.
“I am very against women fighting over a guy. I don’t believe in it. I think it’s — you know, weird and sets us back,” Ripa told her. “But now, you are in the power position. So take me through that. How does that work?”
Brown said she “didn’t really follow the show” and that she “wasn’t a big fan,” but that “being a part of the show, it’s not women fighting against each other. Really, some of my best friends came from the show and were really supportive. When you have a group of 30 people together, there’s going to be people who don’t like each other. That’s just simple facts…It was one of the most empowering things that I ever did because I had to grow as an individual. That is why I decided that I wanted to be the Bachelorette. That’s why I wanted that so bad.”
The Bachelorette airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Photo credit: Jason Merritt/ TERM / Staff / Getty
