Alessio Botticelli/GC Images, Elder Ordonez/INFphoto.comKelly Ripa continues to make jabs at Michael Strahan ahead of his departure from Live! With Kelly and Michael.
In fact, on Thursday—the day before Michael's final day on the show—Kelly stepped out of her New York City apartment wearing what appeared to be another subliminal message directed at her soon-to-be former co-host: a jacket with the word "freedom" printed across the back.
Then, things got even more uncomfortable right from the start of Thursday's show. When the pair walked in together—along to the Sia's "Alive," of all songs—they noticed a fan wearing a cap and gown in the audience.
The woman explained that she had gotten her degree in Journalism and Media Studies, to which Kelly responded, "Perfect! Just in the nick of time!"
At that moment, Michael couldn't help but look down, smile and shake his head. "Don't let this show scare you away from your dreams," he said, before Kelly added, "Don't be afraid. It's fine. You can still go into journalism and do this. I promise."
This is just one of the many messages Kelly has been sending ever since Michael first announced his departure in early April.
Shortly after the news, she stepped out holding Malcolm Gladwell's book, David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, which "uncovers the hidden rules that shape the balance between the weak and the mighty, the powerful and the dispossessed."
She's also mentioned Michael's two divorces several times, much to his surprise, causing an awkward tension the audience could have probably cut with a knife.
Perhaps the "freedom" jacket is her final way of saying, come tomorrow, she'll be free from the drama surrounding his decision to leave the show and ready to move forward.