The days of Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan as co-anchors of “LIVE! With Kelly and Michael” are diminishing. Strahan’s last day on the ABC morning show is May 13 and will prepare for his position on “Good Morning America” this fall—news that reportedly blindsided Ripa when it was revealed on the live show.
In an interview with People, the former soap opera actress shared her thoughts on the the handling of the news that Strahan will no longer work alongside her.
“There’s a part of me that can say, ‘Okay, I understand. This may have been an oversight,’” Ripa said about learning of Strahan’s impending departure. “And again, after 26 years, at this point we are like a family. And sometimes when you are so comfortable with somebody, you may not give them the same consideration as somebody you’re not as comfortable with—a certain formality falls away.”
Ripa was reportedly hurt by the surprise announcement on April 19, which resulted in her absence for nearly a week. While away, Ripa celebrated her 20th wedding anniversary to husband Mark Consuelos and also took time away to gather her thoughts, which she shared on April 26, the day she returned to the live show.
Ripa also addressed workplace respect—a point she reiterated with People magazine.
“I think that all people are deserving of fair treatment in the work place. People deserve respect,” said Ripa. “People should be treated equally and with dignity.”
She added, “I think that requires a certain amount of empathy on a level. When you’re dealing with big business, it’s easy to forget that you’re dealing with people and that people have feelings. It’s easy to just look at it like a business unit, a unit, a unit.”
