Ryan Seacrest and Kelly Ripa have been accused of abandoning their staff. The crew of Live With Kelly and Ryan are, allegedly, furious at the TV hosts for leaving them amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to NaughtyGossip, Ripa and Seacrest have left New York City, where their daytime talk show is being filmed, when the coronavirus hit the city. The show's crew members, allegedly, felt betrayed by their bosses.
Apparently, the crew felt they were left at the epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S. while the hosts skipped town. They added that Kelly kept it a secret where she's broadcasting the show until she opened up about it during a virtual town hall meeting with ABC employees last week.
Since late March, Seacrest and Ripa have been remotely filming episodes of their show from home as the show's studio in NYC has been shut down since COVID-19 cases in the city soared. In the latter's cast from the Caribbean island.
Gossip Cop, however, debunked the rumor that Ryan and Kelly abandoned their crew. It noted that like other TV hosts, the duo also have no choice but to film their show remotely from where they are. Gossip Cop also reached out to sources familiar with the situation, who also denied that the TV hosts abandoned their crew.
Moreover, Ripa didn't just suddenly decide to quarantine in the Caribbean with her husband, Mark Consuelos, and their three children. People Magazine quoted Kelly as saying during the virtual town hall meeting that it was a planned trip.
She explained they were already in the Caribbean when the U.S. was placed under lockdown. Kelly further said it was supposed to be a two-week family vacation but they have no choice but to stay on the island since they can't go home and ABC instructed them to shelter in place.
Though Kelly was quarantining with her family in Caribbean with a majestic view, it wasn't exactly ideal for the TV host. Since they have been far away from home for three months now, Ripa admitted that she already ran out of clothes to wear for Live with Kelly and Ryan. She said she had resulted in borrowing her daughter Lola's clothes.
The family also celebrated two important occasions with just five of them. Ripa and Consuelos' eldest, Michael, graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and they had virtual graduation for him. The family also celebrated Lola's 19th birthday in isolation in Caribbean.
