When it comes to cranking out hit shows, ABC continues to perform year after year, but
that doesn't make the Disney-owned network immune to trouble behind-the-scenes.
Let's take a look at the shadier side of some of the network's biggest names.
Strahan's infamous exit
You would think that when Michael Strahan decided to leave Live!
With Kelly and Michael, his first call would have been to Kelly Ripa.
Sadly, this was not the case.
In fact, according to TMZ, Ripa was kept so out of the loop, she allegedly found out about
Strahan's departure on the same day it was announced to the press.
Ripa skipped work the next day, then went on a supposedly "pre-planned vacation," only
to return with a new title as executive producer of Live!.
She assured the audience that the network had recommitted to the show, and that a conversation
had taken place regarding "communication, and consideration, and most importantly, respect
in the workplace."
Later that same day, ABC put out a statement that said Strahan's exit from the show would
actually occur four months sooner than previously planned.
This was said to be in accordance with "a plan that best advantages" both Live! and
Good Morning America, Strahan's new gig, and, of course, had nothing to do with those pesky
rumors that the co-hosts literally could not stand each other.
Ripa's rumored rift
As rocky as Strahan's exit from Live! was, it pales in comparison to the tabloids' account
of what happened when his replacement, Ryan Seacrest, came on board.
Sources started spilling the tea about Ripa's rumored displeasure with Seacrest after it
was announced that he would return as host for the reboot of American Idol.
A source told Fox News,
"She doesn't want a repeat of the Michael Strahan situation.
She wants to make sure her show is Ryan's first priority, not Idol."
On top of that, rumors flew that Ripa was "butting heads" with Seacrest because he isn't
someone less famous who "she could boss around."
Seacrest also supposedly attempted to pull a power move by trying to move the show to
Los Angeles, where he lives.
Ripa allegedly "exploded" over that idea.
She even supposedly torpedoed an appearance Seacrest was supposed to make on Strahan's
new show, Good Morning America, to promote American Idol.
Of course, Ripa and Seacrest have maintained all along that there is no merit to any of
the scuttlebutt.
An ABC official even told Page Six, "Everything is categorically not true."
O'Leary's bad business
Kevin O'Leary is arguably the biggest star of Shark Tank.
He's always seated in the center chair and always willing to take the hardest swipe at
a hopeful entrepreneur's questionable pitch.
Mr. Wonderful, as he's called, exudes the confidence one would expect from a self-made
millionaire, but a failed bid for political office in his native Canada has led to renewed
scrutiny of his business history.
The biggest asterisk on O'Leary's business stats comes from the deal in which he actually
made his fortune.
In 2010, O'Leary shepherded the acquisition of his software firm, The Learning Company,
to toy giant Mattel.
According to Canadian Business, within six months, O'Leary was reportedly "pushed out
of the company" after Mattel lost between $50 and $100 million on its new TLC division.
As a result, Mattel's stock price plummeted, "wiping out billions in shareholder value."
The shareholders later filed a class action lawsuit, alleging TLC "used accounting tricks
to hide losses and inflate quarterly revenue" ahead of its acquisition by Mattel.
The shareholders eventually won a settlement of $122 million dollars, but you have to assume
if they could turn back the clock on O'Leary's acquisition pitch, they would probably reply
with a resounding ...
"I'm out!"
Short's downward spiral
While Scandal was pulling in sky high ratings in April 2014, series star Columbus Short's
life was falling apart.
A month before Short was fired from the show, he was arrested for allegedly knocking a man
unconscious in a bar fight.
According to TMZ, the brawl was the latest in a string of violent incidents, including
allegations from Short's wife that he had physically abused her.
After leaving the show, Short fled Los Angeles for Atlanta, where he laid low for a while
and generally dodged questions about his turbulent personal life.
Speaking with Access Hollywood in December 2014, Short said that his problems began when
he started abusing cocaine and alcohol to cope with the suicide of a friend.
He also claimed showrunner Shonda Rhimes knew of his problems and tried to shield him.
"They protected me and they held me down.
They just wanted me to get my stuff together, and sometimes, you know, the bottom really
has to get dropped out for you to really get it."
Fishburne's parental advisory
Black-ish star Laurence Fishburne has dealt with some turbulent off-camera drama.
In 2010, his daughter, Montana Fishburne, became a tabloid fixture after she starred
in an adult film.
According to TMZ, Laurence's "friends" hired an attorney to approach Vivid, the company
that distributed the film, in an attempt to purchase every copy of the film for $1 million
dollars.
Unfortunately, the DVDs had already shipped.
Fishburne was reportedly mortified.
As of the making of this video, Laurence has never spoke publicly about his daughter's
foray into adult films.
But Montana told TMZ that her father told her,
"I'm not going to speak with you till you turn your life around."
She has continued to generate negative press, including an alleged altercation with her
boyfriend's ex-girlfriend in which Montana was accused of battery, false imprisonment,
trespassing, and assault with a deadly weapon.
Again, there was no public comment from Laurence, but sources told TMZ that he quietly hired
Montana's lawyer and paid the legal fees to fight the case.
Garlin's road rage
The Goldbergs star Jeff Garlin seems like a jovial guy, but in 2013, he was sued by
a woman who claims he went nuts on her in a CVS parking lot in an apparent road rage
incident.
According to the lawsuit, the woman claims Garlin refused to move his car and allow her
to park.
Garlin then allegedly followed her to another spot and "slammed his fist against the driver's
side window so hard that it broke the glass."
Garlin was subsequently arrested and charged with felony vandalism, but according to TMZ,
the charges were later dropped in exchange for Garlin's agreement to "sit for a meeting
with the L.A. City Attorney."
Garlin later addressed the incident in an interview with Seth Meyers, telling the late
night host he lost his temper because the woman made fun of his weight ...
"I'm a strong man!
I didn't realize that strong.
And you know like, a window, it shattered.
Not on her, but like right there."
"When it happened, I was like, 'Whoa!
No, that's not what I wanted!'"
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