Kelly Ripa has broken her silence...sort of.
The Live! With Kelly and Michael co-host has yet to publicly comment on Michael Strahan's exit from the morning show to join Good Morning America full-time. A source previously told E! News that she was "livid" after learning of her co-host's departure just moments before news was made public Tuesday, saying, "It wasn't pretty." Ripa opted to skip Wednesday's show, so Ana Gasteyer filled in for her.
Ripa stayed under the radar for the remainder of the day. Strahan, meanwhile, was supposed to host the Food Bank of New York City Can Do Awards that night, but he backed out at the last minute; he apologized for his absence via a recorded video message. Towards the end of the event, guests bid on a dinner with Aziz Ansari, Jim Gaffigan and Mike Meyers, prepared by chef Mario Batali. "I promise Michael Strahan will be there with Kelly. It will be their first encounter," Ansari joked. Batali added, "Kelly will be there, but Michael Strahan may or may not come."
When Ripa resurfaced in New York City Thursday, it seems she wanted to send Strahan and executives a message: The battle is only just beginning. Ripa didn't utter a single word as she and husband Mark Consuelos left their townhouse and hopped into a town car, but she did hold a copy of Malcom Gladwell's David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants in plain sight. According to Gladwell's publisher, the book "uncovers the hidden rules that shape the balance between the weak and the mighty, the powerful and the dispossessed." We don't want to read too much into it (pun intended), but make of that what you will.
Who's David and who's Goliath in this situation? That depends on who you ask.
Erin Andrews filled in for Ripa on Thursday's show, and she and Strahan also taped Friday's episode. Pretty Little Liars star Shay Mitchell will cover for her on Monday.
Ripa had requested time off work to celebrate her 20th wedding anniversary in Turks and Caicos this weekend. She isn't expected to return to work until Tuesday.