Kelly Ripa finally broke her silence on Friday, April 22, following Michael Strahan’s Tuesday announcement that he would be leaving Live With Kelly and Michael for Good Morning America this fall.
In a memo that she sent out to her staff late in the evening, the veteran talk show host, 45, told her staff that she would be returning to work on Tuesday, April 26.
“(Sorry for this late Friday night email),” she wrote, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “I wanted to thank you all for giving me the time to process this new information. Your kindness, support, and love has overwhelmed me. We are a family and I look forward to seeing you all on Tuesday morning. Love, Kelly.”
Ripa has been largely lying low since ABC announced that Strahan, 44, would be leaving Live after four years to join GMA full-time. (He currently appears on GMA two days a week.)
An insider previously told Us Weekly that the onscreen duo haven’t spoken since the news broke.
“Michael still hasn’t even heard a peep from her,” the source said.
As previously reported, Ripa learned of the shakeup when she was called into a meeting with Live’s executive producer, Michael Gelman, and WABC general manager, Dave Davis. Twenty minutes later, Strahan entered the room and revealed that he was leaving their show.
A second source told Us that Ripa “stormed out” after “a lot of drama happened.”
For his part, Strahan has been gracious about Ripa’s impact on his career, telling viewers on Wednesday’s show that “Kelly welcomed me here, and I’ve learned so much from her, and she’s just been an amazing influence on me.”
“And this has truly changed my life to be here with her,” the former NFL star continued. “And I know that the show will continue to be strong and great, because Kelly and Michael Gelman and the staff — everybody here is so talented, and this show has not been around for over 30 years by mistake. Kelly, I thank you. I love you. And everyone else here at Live.”
