Thursday, March 28, 2024

Kelly Ripa Set for Tuesday ‘Live!’ Return to Co-Host With Michael Strahan

Kelly-Ripa*Tuesday looks to be the day to look out for as Kelly Ripa makes her return to co-host “Live! With Kelly & Michael” with Michael Strahan.

News of Ripa’s reemergence on the show to appear with Strahan was confirmed by E! News, which noted that Ripa informed “Live! With Kelly & Michael” staffers that she would return in an email sent Friday night.

“(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,” Ripa wrote. “We are a family and I look forward to seeing you all on Tuesday morning. Love, Kelly.”

Ripa’s return comes after a week filled with turmoil for “Live!” that resulted when Ripa was informed after last Tuesday’s show of ABC’s decision to move Strahan full-time to “Good Morning America,” where he had been working part-time. Soon after Ripa found about Strahan’s departure, a press release was sent out announcing the development.

According to E! News, a source that came to the outlet recently told them that Ripa, who has hosted “Live!” in its various formats for more than 15 years, was “livid” about hearing the news when everyone else did. On Wednesday, she was nowhere to be found at “Live!” and remained M.I.A. from the show on Thursday and Friday. Ripa’s absence from “Live!” instantly triggered speculation about the future of the series.

Despite how it may look, Ripa was expected to be away from “Live!” until Tuesday and had requested time off from work to celebrate her and Mark Consuelos’ 20th wedding anniversary with a vacation in Turks and Caicos.

As it turned out, the couple ended up not going.

E! News referenced multiple sources that mentioned that Ripa and Strahan did not get along behind the scenes at “Live!.” Another source told the outlet on Thursday that the pair hasn’t spoken since ABC executives informed Ripa, in front of Strahan, that he was leaving “Live!” to go to “GMA” in September.

The source added that Strahan “has no bad blood towards her at this point and is looking forward to start his new chapter with his new team.”

Emphasizing that point, Strahan took time out to praise Ripa during an appearance on “GMA” Thursday. Although he didn’t mention Ripa at the beginning of “Live!” last Wednesday, he did circle back and spoke about her at the end of the show that day.

“It’s like my second family here. I’m going to miss everybody at Live!,” he said on “GMA.” “I’ve been sitting next to Kelly every day and having a lot of fun on that show for the last four years. I’m very thankful for her—to her—because I learned so much from her.”

As for Ripa, she’s been keeping a low profile. On Thursday, she was seen in public for the first time outside her home in New York City since news of Strahan’s exit surfaced. In her hand was a copy of Malcom Gladwell’s “David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants.”

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