Ripa A No-Show After Strahan Announces Exit

NEW YORK (AP) — Kelly Ripa was absent from her syndicated daytime talk show Wednesday, the day after it was announced that co-host Michael Strahan was leaving to join Good Morning America full-time.

The show’s spokeswoman, Barbara Warren, said that Ripa had a day off.

She was replaced on Live with Kelly & Michael by actress Ana Gasteyer, who listened as Strahan told the audience that he was leaving. Strahan said he wasn’t going far, even though in reading stories about the move “it sounded like I died.”

Later in the show, he paid tribute to his co-host.

He said: “Kelly, I thank you, I love you and everyone else here at Live.”