Jon “Stugotz” Weiner, co-host of ESPN’s “The Dan Le Batard Show,” ripped ABC’s Kelly Ripa for failing to show up to work today.
Michael Strahan formally announced on Wednesday’s “Live! with Kelly and Michael” that he’s leaving the program to move to “Good Morning America,” but his co-host, Ripa, was not there. TheWrap previously reported that Ripa was left in the dark about the Strahan’s decision to leave.
In a segment called, “I mean this guy, really?,” Weiner bashed his Disney colleague for skipping “Live! with Kelly and Michael” after reports that Michael Strahan‘s departure from the show blindsided Ripa.
“This guy Ripa, really? She is so upset that she was not made aware of the news that Strahan was leaving before it was made available to the public, the mainstream media, she is so upset about that and the fact that Strahan is leaving after four years that she didn’t show up to work today,” Weiner said. “She makes $20 million a year. $36,000 per episode for one hour of work, when you include commercials, is about 40 minutes.”
Weiner continued, “Kelly Ripa is so upset about Strahan she can’t show up to a job that pays her $36,000 an hour. I mean this guy, really?”
ESPN and ABC are both owned by Disney, so Kelly and Weiner are technically colleagues. “The Dan Le Batard Show” often mocks itself and doesn’t take many things too seriously, but it will be interesting to see if Disney execs appreciate the bit. It airs on ESPN Radio, ESPNU and Fusion.
Ana Gasteyer filled in for Ripa on Wednesday. A show representative simply said, “Kelly has the day off today,” when TheWrap asked whether Ripa had previously scheduled a vacation day, or if her absence was a reaction to Strahan’s decision.