Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan won the Daytime Emmy Awards on Sunday night for Best Entertainment Talk Show for their work on Live! With Kelly and Michael.
But neither was on hand to receive the trophy.
You really need to ask why, do you?
Ripa and Strahan have dominated all television headlines over the past two weeks, following Strahan’s announcement that he is moving full-time to Good Morning America.
This was followed by Ripa skipping a couple days of work out of protest… returning and telling the world that she deserved “respect” in the work place… and ABC then moving up Strahan’s departure date by four months.
Since then, the stars have worked together on screen.
But let’s just say it’s been a bit awkward at times:
Who is at fault for the dissolution of this partnership?
A previous report outlined how Kelly Ripa is a demanding diva, but Page Six now writes that Strahan became very hard to work with over the years.
“When he had first agreed to go on ‘GMA,’ she said, ‘Watch what’s going to happen,"” an insider says of Ripa’s reaction to Strahan appearing twice per week on that program.
“She knew that when he started doing that, [leaving ‘Live’] would be his goal.”
Indeed, the newspaper source alleges that Ripa took issue with Strahan’s lack of commitment to their show; while Strahan was unhappy over being Ripa’s lesser paid sidekick.
According to multiple outlets, Kelly makes around $ 20 million per year and Strahan makes around $ 4 million per year.
This scathing exclusive claims Strahan would “show up late to tapings” and annoy folks backstage with his entourage.
Yes, Strahan was very charismatic on camera, but “when he doesn’t need to be on, he shuts down and can be selfish,” according to someone supposedly in the know.
Strahan also allegedly butted heads with producer Michael Gelman very often.
“She really loves the show,” an insider says of Ripa. “She knows how lucky she is to have it. For him, it’s a temporary home and this was clear to the people who were working there.”
As a result of the tension between co-hosts, Ripa started to “freeze [Strahan] out,” Page Six writes.
The former football great is reportedly receiving a raise to eight figures to be a permanent fixture on GMA.
However…
“He’s walking into a propeller,” Andy Cohen warns.
“He’s strong but he better watch out, because the knives are out and all the different stars are positioning themselves to attack. I hope he’s ready.”
