Kelly Ripa, former soap opera star, recently made her return to her show "Live! With Michael and Kelly" following a short absence after discovering that her home network, ABC, and her co-host, Michael Strahan, all kept the latter's scheduled departure a secret from her.
As stated in a report from CNN, the controversy began when her co-host Strahan signed up to leave Kelly and the show to move to ABC and become a host for "Good Morning America." However, Ripa was not warned about the departure and only discovered the news when it was announced to the public, forcing Ripa to take several days of leave.
"I wanted to thank you all for giving me the time to process this new information," Ripa stated an email to the staff of "Live," which has been acquired by Deadline. "Your kindness, support, and love has overwhelmed me. We are a family and I look forward to seeing you all on Tuesday morning."
The former actress will continue hosting the show along with Strahan until he officially leaves the show, which may force Ripa to hold the show on her own until a replacement can be found. This will not be the first time she will be going solo as she had to do the same when Regis Philbin left in 2011.
Kelly Ripa has been on the show since 2001 and has been the face of the series ever since. She came on board after former host Kathie Lee left, forcing Philbin to search for a new co-host. Regis left in 2011 and by 2012 Strahan came on board as her new partner.
However, according to a report from ABC Action News, Strahan will be leaving earlier than expected. Strahan's first announcement indicated he would be on the show until September. The new report clarifies he is leaving "Live!" this May 13.
From there on he will be appearing on "Good Morning America" until he becomes a regular co-host this September.
