Kelly Ripa was a no-show Wednesday for “Live!”.
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With Strahan not departing for another five months, there’s plenty of time left for Ripa and Disney to make peace, assuming that Ripa ever returns to work.
The on-screen chemistry between Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan on Live! has translated into great ratings for the ABC owned-and-operated stations.
“It’s the same channel”, Strahan reiterated about ABC’s “GMA”. Ripa was absent from Wednesday’s “Live with Kelly and Michael“, and she won’t be back until next Tuesday at the earliest.
“It all happened very quickly”, the source said by way of explanation, although another is reportedly saying that Ripa is “furious” at the way Strahan has handled his exit from the show.
With Ripa staying silent for now, fans of the show have filled the void with speculation about the botched transition and support for her.
“Kelly feels like (Disney and ABC) are telling her they don’t value her or the show”, People said. Meanwhile Strahan cheerfully discussed his new GMA job in front of “Live’s” studio audience. But it wasn’t co-host Kelly Ripa sitting at his side when he made the announcement.
44 year old Strahan, an ex-NFL legend, had announced on Tuesday (April 19th) that he would be bringing an end to his four-year stint on the syndicated talk show in order to join ABC’s “Good Morning America” as a full-time co-anchor in September this year.
Ripa’s unexplained absence came amid published reports that she felt blindsided and angered by Strahan’s departure to join “Good Morning America” fulltime. He didn’t say much about Ripa. “I’m always here, I’m always available to guest co-host if I get a call, because I consider myself to be a part of this family forever”.
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“Live!” representatives told the Washington Post late Wednesday that Ripa will be off the rest of the week, with various guest hosts filling in. One source told CNN that Ripa is “beyond angry” about the development.
