ABCKelly Ripa has been absent from LIVE! With Kelly and Michael for the past few days, but she intends to return Tuesday.
Despite any drama that may be taking place behind the scenes, Michael Strahan said Monday morning that he's looking forward to his co-host's return to their morning show. "She's going to be back tomorrow, which we are all excited about," he said on-air while co-hosting with Pretty Little Liars star Shay Mitchell.
Strahan also explained that had already requested Monday off to celebrate her 20th wedding anniversary with husband Mark Consuelos.
Ripa's ongoing absence sparked speculation about the show's future, but that was put to rest when it was renewed through 2020. She announced her return in an email to LIVE! staffers Friday. "(Sorry for this late Friday night email). I wanted to thank you all for giving me the time to process this new information. Your kindness, support, and love has overwhelmed me," she wrote. "We are a family and I look forward to seeing you all on Tuesday morning. Love, Kelly."
Ripa and her family were scheduled to go on a celebratory trip to Turks and Caicos over the weekend, but they called off the trip amid the drama surrounding Strahan's full-time move to Good Morning America. With exception to her Friday evening statement, Ripa didn't comment on Strahan's departure, but a source told E! News exclusively that she was anything but silent behind the scenes.
"She was livid," the source shared. "It wasn't pretty."
The source also said Strahan "has no bad blood towards her at this point and is looking forward to start his new chapter with his new team." While Ripa was out on hiatus, Strahan gushed over her and their team at LIVE! on GMA.
"It's like my second family here. I'm going to miss everybody at Live!" he said. "I've been sitting next to Kelly every day and having a lot of fun on that show for the last four years. I'm very thankful for her—to her—because I learned so much from her."
We'll just have to wait and see what Tuesday brings!