On Tuesday, ABC announced that Ripa’s co-host Michael Strahan is leaving “Live with Kelly and Michael” and joining “Good Morning America” full-time.
Gossip web sites said Ripa was “caught off guard” by the move. TMZ described her as “livid” at ABC’s owner, Disney, for disrespecting her long-running show.
Ripa was absent from Wednesday’s “Live.” There was no explanation why. But her absence lends credence to the rumors.
Actress Ana Gasteyer filled in for Ripa. Her appearance was not promoted ahead of time.
In response to questions, a spokeswoman for the show said “Kelly had the day off today.” The spokeswoman did not respond to followup questions about whether she will return to the show later this week.
Ripa said nothing about taking Wednesday off when she co-hosted with Strahan on Tuesday.
She was reportedly told about Strahan’s departure shortly after Tuesday’s show ended at 10 a.m.
The news leaked out an hour later.
Strahan’s move will take effect in September (which means there’s a long period of potential drama between now and then).
He is an addition to “GMA,” not replacing any of the other hosts. The move is intended to shore up the morning show, which has suffered a significant decline in viewership this season.
A senior ABC source called Strahan’s “GMA” role “the next step in the development of a rock star.”
The source said his shift from “Live” to “GMA” “enables him to do all kinds of things he could not do before.”
But Strahan’s departure could damage “Live.” He became the co-host in 2012 after a lengthy period of on-air tryouts.
On Wednesday morning he talked about his departure on the air — with Gasteyer instead of Ripa — and said “I’m always available to guest co-host; I’m always going to be be a part of this family.”
And at the end of the hour, Strahan went out of his way to thank Ripa, saying, “Kelly, I thank you, I love you.”
