Now that’s a fashion statement! Kelly Ripa wore a jacket with the word “Freedom” emblazoned across the back ahead of Michael Strahan‘s last day on Live with Kelly and Michael this Friday, May 13.
The talk show host, 45, was spotted stepping out of her NYC apartment on Thursday, May 12, with husband Mark Consuelos. The former soap star rocked the not-so-subtle jacket with a red top, skinny jeans and tan booties and carried a large stack of papers.
Strahan, 44, caused a firestorm when he announced on April 19 that he’s leaving Live after four years for a full-time gig at Good Morning America. Ripa was apparently “blindsided” by the news and skipped work the following day, a source previously told Us Weekly. She saw it as a “huge sign of disrespect” that nobody had told her, the insider said.
After a week-long absence for a prescheduled anniversary vacation, Ripa finally returned to work on April 26 and addressed the drama. “I gained some perspective. I always speak from the heart. I didn’t want to come out here and just, like, say something I might regret,” she told viewers. “So what transpired though over the course of a few days has been extraordinary in the sense that it started a much greater conversation about communication and consideration and, most importantly, respect in the workplace.”
Tensions have been running high between the cohosts, and there have been several super awkward moments between the two. Ripa even put Strahan on the spot by bringing up his divorce, and the former football star looked totally baffled. Strahan was originally planning to depart the morning talk show in September, but his last day was moved up several months so that Live has time to find a new cohost. Several names, including Anderson Cooper, Andy Cohen and Jerry O’Connell, have been thrown around as potential replacements.
