Kelly Ripa Reveals the Regis Philbin Rule: ‘No Talking Off-Camera’

Kelly Ripa and Regis Philbin co-hosted Live with Regis and Kelly together for years before Philbin left the program in 2011, and Ripa spilled a few secrets about the pair’s time together in a recent interview with the New York Times.

Ripa revealed that during their time hosting the show, Philbin had a rather unusual rule when it came to their conversation.

“Regis had a mandate: Absolutely no talking off-camera,” she said. “He had almost a superstition about it. You save it for the show. I’d be like, ‘Good morning,’ and he’d say, ‘Save it for the air!’”

After Philbin left the show, Ripa co-hosted with former football player Michael Strahan before he abruptly exited, causing a huge amount of tension between the pair. Ripa eventually found a replacement in Ryan Seacrest, who joined the show in 2017.

In the NYT interview, Ripa praised Seacrest, who she says she texts at night and spends time with on the weekends, calling the 42-year-old the “future of the franchise” and the “future of ABC.”

Seacrest, who is juggling his Live duties, radio show and upcoming hosting gig on American Idol, among other obligations, shared that his appreciation for his co-host runs just as deep. He told the paper, “If it were raining outside and there was a puddle, I’d want to stand in front of Kelly so she wouldn’t get wet. There’s that protection thing.”

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