Remember this morning? When Kelly Ripa said she loves Michael Strahan and wished him the best in his move to Good Morning America?
She totally and completely meant it…
… and then she made sure the door didn’t hit Strahan on the way out.
Indeed, just a few hours after Ripa made her triumphant return to Live! and also made very nice with her co-host of nearly four years, ABC has released a statement that says Strahan will leave the program on May 13.
He was initially supposed to stick around until September before making the move to Good Morning America.
“After meeting with the producers of both Live and Good Morning America, and after speaking with Kelly and Michael, we have decided on a plan that best advantages both shows for the future,” a show spokeswoman told Entertainment Weekly.
The statement continued:
“To that end, Michael’s last day on Live will be on Friday, May 13, which not only gives the show the chance to have a nice send-off for him during the May book, but to also immediately begin the on-air search for a new co-host.
“This plan also allows GMA to start integrating Michael into the show more often this summer before his full-time start in September.”
Left unmentioned?
Ripa clearly hates Strahan and could not wait to rid herself of the ex-New York Giants defensive star.
It was only a week ago when Strahan announced he was leaving one ABC series for another.
But neither he nor anyone at ABC gave Ripa a heads-up, which greatly angered the woman who has been helming Live! since 2004.
In response, Ripa took one unscheduled day off from the show and then left on a family vacation.
In her remarks this morning, which you can watch above, she makes no secret of the fact that she felt disrespected by how Strahan’s departure was handled.
The network, however, issued her an apology and has now seemingly gone one step further:
They’ve made it so that Kelly has to spend as little time sitting next to Strahan as possible.
WHO DO YOU THINK OUGHT TO REPLACE MICHAEL STRAHAN?