The outlet reports that Kelly sent an email to her staff late Friday night (22Apr16) saying, “Sorry for this late Friday night email”. TMZ reported that Ripa went “ballistic” after hearing the news, at least in part because no one gave her a heads up about what was about to go down. “I love you and everyone else here at Live!”. “We are a family and I look forward to seeing you all on Tuesday morning”, she added. He was surprised at how Disney and ABC executives dealt with the situation surrounding Strahan’s departure and doesn’t blame Kelly for her unvarnished anger. Ripa apparently couldn’t hold in her disappointment and sat out of Wednesday’s episode.
Advertisement
“They should’ve told her in the beginning”, said Philbin.
“Kelly ripa you need a young fly guy like me next to you on the show!” he wrote.
A co-host on the show for 15 years, Ripa, 45, had reportedly been planning a vacation this weekend – before the change became news.
“Didn’t I tell you this was going to happen?” Ripa’s no-show hissy fit has left him holding the bag with a succession of stand-ins for her on “Live”.
Ripa has been largely laying low since ABC announced that Strahan, 44, would be leaving Live after four years to join GMA full-time. Actress Shay Mitchell of “Pretty Little Liars” is scheduled to co-host the show with Strahan tomorrow morning. Strahan’s GMA gig doesn’t start until September-how are we going to watch Ripa hold hands, seat-dance, and share personal anecdotes with him until then when we know that she’s fuming at him off camera?
A source said the news was so painful that Ripa felt it would be better that she didn’t show up for work on Wednesday.
She signed the email, “Love, Kelly”.
Advertisement
“Live” cohosts Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan. “I’m very thankful to her because I learned so much from her and [LIVE producer] Michael Gelman. I sure think there is, and I think some of the coverage has sounded nearly sexist–the way she’s been described as being insane about this”.
