Ashley Iaconetti was not a fan of Kelly Ripa’s recent on-air exchange with The Bachelorette season 21 lead Jenn Tran.
“It disappoints me when I see that Kelly Ripa has such an ax to grind with The Bachelor franchise,” Iaconetti, 36, said on the Thursday, July 11, episode of the “Almost Famous” podcast. “Every time we have a lead go on the show to promote it, she always seems to be so skeptical of — a little bit of the lead, and their decision to be the lead — and also just the process.”
Iaconetti, who “loves” to watch Live with Kelly and Mark, noted that Ripa, 53, “just seems to really shame the show.”
Iaconetti pointed out that there are “so many reality shows out there that are so much more trashy,” adding, “She loves to pick at The Bachelor and The Bachelorette.”
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Iaconetti noted that her “Almost Famous” cohost, Ben Higgins, had a similar experience to Tran, 26, during his appearance on the live show. (Higgins, 35, starred on The Bachelor season 20, which premiered in 2016.)
While Higgins didn’t elaborate on his appearance, he noted that Ripa “definitely doesn’t like the show,” joking, “I don’t know if they, like, denied her her Bachelorette role at some point.” Higgins said that Ripa’s dislike of the franchise “makes for an awkward interview.”
“You’re sitting there as this fan of her and the show, you’re excited to be there, you’ve gotten this wild opportunity to be on reality television and be a lead on it,” he said. “And you feel like, ‘Hey, life is really fun and exciting right now.’”
Higgins noted that there are “so many people” who “are super expecting of it” and “understand” that pursuing love on The Bachelor franchise is “weird” and “not common.”
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“But they’re still very nice to you,” he said. “If you look back on past interviews with past leads on the Kelly Live show, it always gets awkward. Because it’s always questioning and it puts you in a weird place to have to respond to questions that you can’t really answer.”
With Tran’s experience on Live with Kelly and Mark, Higgins noted that it’s “the first time that a lead has spoken back.”
While Higgins noted that the interaction is “tongue and cheek more than anything,” Iaconetti added, “Because we know her history with these comments, we know she really means them. But it does feel, like, on TV, playful and not super scary. But I do like the way that Jenn kind of questioned her back.”
During the Monday, July 8, episode of Live with Kelly and Mark, Ripa wondered why Tran would want to be on the show, which led the Bachelorette to ask the morning show host a question of her own.
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“I have a question. Where did you meet your husband? On TV, no?” Tran asked Ripa, referring to cohost Mark Consuelos, whom she met while filming All My Children. (Ripa and Counselos, 53, tied the knot in 1996.)
Ripa quickly noted that the two situations were not comparable. “Those are not the same. We were both professional,” she replied. “Are you acting on your show? I didn’t marry [Mark’s character] Mateo Santos. I married Mark Consuelos.”
Following the exchange, Entertainment Weekly reported that neither Ripa nor Tran were offended. “Ripa and Tran were ribbing each other during the conversation,” an insider explained, adding, “the interview was well received on both ends.”
Us Weekly reached out to ABC for comment at the time.
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Higgins noted that Ripa’s remarks about her and Consuelos’ relationship are “not untrue,” adding, “But I think the bigger picture is you can find love in the most random, in the most unexpected places.”
Iaconetti, who married Bachelor Nation’s Jared Haibon in 2019, noted that the comments were “just a little offensive to us who have found love on the show.”
Higgins quipped, “There you go. Ashley, you should go on there and tell her that.”
The Bachelorette airs on ABC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.
