https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8f4ir8cCZ8
For the first time in nearly week, Kelly Ripa was back on Live with Kelly and Michael. She could’ve let what has transpired go unnoticed, but instead she made a speech at the beginning of the show.
Guys, guys, guys. Our long national nightmare is over.
Please, sit down. Please, be seated. Look — I’m going to be completely honest — I’m fairly certain that there are trained professional snipers with tranquilizer darts in case I drift too far off message.
I first want to honestly, sincerely thank you for welcoming me back to the show. The love, the show of support through this bizarre time has been really overwhelming. I really, I needed a couple of days to gather my thoughts. After 26 years with this company, I earned the right. And let’s be honest, I know half of you called in sick to be here, so we get each other!
In that time, I gained some perspective. I always speak from the heart. I didn’t want to come out here and just, like, say something I might regret. So what transpired though, over the course of a few days, has been extraordinary in the sense that it started a much greater conversation about communication and consideration and, most importantly, respect in the workplace.
And since we’re being honest, I don’t consider this just a ‘workplace.’ This is my second home. This is a place that I’ve devoted myself to, not just because of you, our loyal viewers, but because of all of the producers and the crew who work on this show. We have an incredible team. We are incredibly devoted to one another. We are family. Apologies have been made, and the best thing to come out of all of this, you guys, is that our parent company has assured me that “Live” is a priority.
Guys, calm down, they didn’t say anything about Christmas bonuses.
But there is a commitment to this show; and to the people that work here; and most importantly to you, the viewers, who have watched us every day for 30 years.
I am thrilled for Michael. I’m thrilled for you. This is a tremendous opportunity and I couldn’t be, and we couldn’t be, prouder of you. And everything we accomplished together.
So, back to the show. This is entertainment. It’s supposed to be entertaining! So let’s get back to what we do best and start the show.
Oh, wait. Incidentally, I just want to say one thing. My dad, who was a bus driver for 30 years, thinks we’re all crazy!
And I think he’s right. I think he’s right.
The most glaring part of this speech is that she did it standing up, away from her co-host Michael Strahan. Proving to most people that the rumors are true and they don’t get along. You can also tell in her speech she is bitter, and by the way ABC employees have been treated, to me, under Ben Sherwood, I get where she is coming from.
You can’t keep promoting and firing people and letting their co-workers find out about in the press. You need to make them feel like their workplace is a family, a home, and keep their morale high. If not, ABC will be in more trouble than it already is in. And it sounds like Ripa’s stand might be what the network brass needed to understand they can’t keep playing that game anymore.
Not only will they be alienating their workers, they will also be alienating their fans too. I am not mad about how they handled the Castle firings, I am just mad that they did it. Enough for me to switch the channel when it is on next season. I will suffer through the rest of this one before I say goodbye to the show.
Back to Ripa, I think she acted like a baby. This is what happens at a job. But then again if more people took a stand like she did, it might not be the case?
How do you feel about it all after hearing her speak for the first time since Michael Strahan announced that he is leaving?
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