While some TV programming has had to shut down fully given social distancing rules, other shows have been able to continue remotely. This includes daytime and late night shows, which have gotten into the habit of communicating with interviewees on Zoom. Because of this Live with Kelly and Ryan has been able to keep going on the airwaves with a few minor changes. What you might not know, however, is that Kelly Ripa has secretly been filming from the Caribbean.
Just call her the swashbucklin’ lead of Pirates of the Caribbean: Tan Women Tell No Tales. Seriously, I’m impressed Kelly Ripa kept this a secret for so long. I guess I’ve seen her filming in lots of brightly colored prints and seemingly gauzy outfits but I certainly did not put two and two together.
Still, it’s a thing. Kelly Ripa announced during an ABC Employees Town Hall (via People) that the plan wasn’t to remain in isolation in the Caribbean, but like many of us in these times, she, her husband Mark Consuelos and the kids were rather “stuck.” She noted:
We had planned a trip for our family, and it was supposed to be our entire family, of course. And we arrive and three days later the entire world changed, really, everything shut down, the government shut down, our country shut down. hate to use the word ‘stuck,’ but we were. We decided to stay where we were.
Kelly Ripa’s a team player and she’s always clearly been someone who takes her daytime TV job seriously – we saw that during the Michael Strahan brouhaha. She says after she had a conversation with her new co-host Ryan Seacrest about next steps, they ultimately kept the daytime show going for the fans.
It was supposed to be a two-week trip and we wound up getting right back to work. Ryan [Seacrest] and I both decided it was better to do the show because we just felt like with everything going on in the world that perhaps, some normalcy just doing what we normally do, even though it was like in very unusual circumstances, would be the best thing for us.
Nothing has been usual about these circumstances, including the video and audio quality of daytime and late night talk shows. People have popped in and out of these videos. One memorable interview with Daniel Radcliffe with Stephen Colbert had no audio coming through at all. People have been patient and found humor through all of these things.
Not that Kelly Ripa’s complaining, but if your “very unusual circumstances” include filming on a tropical island, things could be worse. She said she’s particularly “grateful” to have her children with her during the time away. Honestly, everyone is facing some sort of challenge or inconvenience in their lives during these times, and an extended vacation with your entire family I'd imagine could still get exhausting at times, particularly when you are trying to work and missing your own bed and stuff.
Comparatively some of us are shelled up in tiny box-like apartments with their families. Some people have to put their lives on the line every day while others have been holed up alone for months now and may be seeing their mental health suffer as a result. We are all facing different challenges and it’s nice Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest ultimately are trying to keep a semblance of normalcy in our lives – even if one of them could be relaxing with their family and the other has been accused of having a stroke lately.
Live with Kelly and Ryan airs on weekdays, only on ABC. Check your local listings for times.
