Here’s everything you need to know about the Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan Live with Kelly & Michael drama.
ABC announced Michael Strahan will leave his job as co-host of Live with Kelly & Michael to become a full-time host on Good Morning America. This news shocked a lot of people including Strahan’s co-host, Kelly Ripa, who TMZ claims found out about it at the same time as everyone else and was never given a warning. This led to an alleged boycott.
Our ABC sources say Kelly — and virtually everyone on her show — feels Disney has screamed to the world they don’t care about ‘Live’ … their singular focus is breathing life into ‘GMA’, which has lost a big chunk of its audience over the last year.
We’re told there’s serious talk about giving ‘Live’ the boot at 9 AM and adding a third hour to GMA. It’s unclear if Disney is eyeing a time slot later in the morning for Kelly’s show. It’s pretty incredible, since ‘Live’ has been super successful on Kelly’s watch.
Kelly Ripa was so unhappy, she didn’t even show up to work for several days. Leaving Strahan to walk out with several replacements.
According to CNN, Kelly Ripa has reportedly received an apology from network executives following the whole incident. According to reports, the executives “expressed regret for the way Kelly was told the news.”
After being absent from Live! With Kelly and Michael for close to a week, Ripa is returning to the ABC talk-show Tuesday where she will sit alongside Strahan, making it her first real interaction since Strahan landed a new job on GMA.
But before the show airs, many people were curious to know the dynamics of these TV personalities ever since the alleged boycott took place. According to E!, the pair have not spoken to each other since last week but they have been texting each other.
“It’s been simple,” our source shared. “Very cordial.”
As of now, both Kelly and Michael have no plans to see each other before Tuesday’s show tapes live in New York City. Instead, our insider said, “They are just going in and doing it tomorrow.”
However, according to TheWrap, Michael Strahan apologized to Kelly Ripa for leaving the show.
“They talked over the weekend,” a source close to the show, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said of Ripa and Strahan. “I think Kelly appreciated the apology.”
Kelly Ripa’s ongoing absence sparked speculation about the show’s future, but it’s important to point out that the show’s contract will last until 2020.
She announced her return in an email to staffers on Friday. “(Sorry for this late Friday night email). I wanted to thank you all for giving me the time to process this new information. Your kindness, support, and love has overwhelmed me,” she wrote. “We are a family and I look forward to seeing you all on Tuesday morning. Love, Kelly.”
Via CNN
