ABCWhen Kelly Ripa came back to Live! Tuesday, it seemed like the "long national nightmare" was indeed over. Instead, it had only just begun.
From the moment the longtime talk show host returned to the set to deliver arguably her best monologue yet—"This is a place that I've devoted myself to"—it was clear words were not going to be enough to quell the mounting tension. While she and Michael Strahan walked off the set hand in hand that day, the rest of the week's subtle interactions would prove they're not exactly on the same page.
To start, as Ripa delivered her lengthy message to fans, the cameras kept entirely off of Strahan. Perhaps it was to give Kelly the undivided attention she wanted after being slighted in the process of Strahan's behind-the-scenes decision. However, it could have also been a production precaution to avoid broadcasting any telling facial expressions from Strahan as he sat unseen in the back.
Next, there was Kelly's awkward quip about contract negotiations. During Thursday's episode, she managed to bring up the topic during a segment with wildlife expert Peter Gros from the Animal Planet show Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom and his screaming hairy armadillo.
"The reason he's screaming is he is small," the expert explained about the small animal's incessant shrieking. "He has no defense, no teeth. When a predator comes along, he squares it away with his scream."
Well, Ripa's mind went immediately to dollar signs. "I want to take him into contract negotiations with me," she said laughing. Strahan didn't crack a smile. Instead, he shook his head and steered the conversation back to the animal's stench, though it was really her joke that stunk of underhanded shade.
The discreet jabs didn't end there. Earlier in the show, she turned her sights to his former marriage.
"I had dogs and I had a Great Dane and I had a pet psychic come over and I didn't get the pet psychic," Strahan explained . "My ex-wife got the pet psychic. But then-"
"Is that what led to the divorce?" Ripa joked mid-sentence. It visibly caught Strahan off guard.
"There were a variety of things," Strahan responded awkwardly. "But, you know, great woman. Great mother to the kids. So, um, so, why am I in this position right now? I'm trying to talk about a pet psychic."
It wouldn't have seemed like as much of a jab had Ripa not kicked off Friday's show with another punch at Strahan's love life.
"There's a great article in the paper and I want to get your take on it because I don't have a take on it, but I want yours," she said, referencing an article about divorced couples living in a house with their children on a rotation. "You've gotten divorced."
The moment could not be ignored. The audience immediately began laughing, though Strahan was visibly not amused/ Instead, he closed his eyes and shook his head as if he couldn't believe she had just said that.
Yes, Strahan has in fact been divorced twice, but it was the second consecutive time Ripa had brought it up this week and one time had already been too many.
While it was initially a shock to learn Strahan is ducking out of the show early in May, after reviewing this week's instances, we can't say we blame him.