Kelly Ripa Allegedly Refuses to Pick Up Michael Strahan's Calls
Following Kelly Ripa's sit-out from "Live! With Kelly and Michael," a new report has emerged regarding the host's refusal to answer co-host Michael Strahan's calls as she continues to ponder on the latter's decision to leave the morning show.
According to The New York Daily News, Strahan has repeatedly tried to call Ripa but the long-time "Live!" host refused to pick up the phone. "He's reached out but there's no response," a source disclosed to the outlet.
The news follows after multiple outlets reported that Ripa was left in a state of shock when she was informed that Strahan had decided to leave the show even before announcing his move to "Good Morning America."
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The New York Times says an insider who talked to Ripa about the issue said the host was informed about the former football player's decision within minutes before the announcement was made public. Ripa apparently couldn't hold in her disappointment and sat out of Wednesday's episode.
The insider further explained that Ripa was called in for a meeting with the show's producer, Michael Gelman and a manager. Ripa wasn't aware of the meeting's agenda until Strahan walked in 20 minutes later to declare that he was leaving.
Variety notes that the same thing happened to Ripa after Regis Philbin decided to retire some years back. After Philbin left, Ripa had to work with numerous people until Strahan was officially hired to replace Philbin.
The outlet also points out that Ripa's ability to get the conversation back on track not just during Strahan's first few months on the show but also when other guest hosts didn't seem to go well with the rotations, carried out "Live!" most of the time.
Though many journalists have reached out to Ripa for her comments on the controversial issue, she has refused to give any remarks and will be replaced by Erin Andrews for the entire week.
"Live! With Kelly and Michael" airs every weekday on ABC.
