Michael Strahan Thanks Kelly Ripa, Oprah Weighs in on the 'Live' Drama

Michael Strahan gave a shout out to co-host Kelly Ripa this morning thanking her for helping him learn the ropes. 

“I’m very thankful for her, to her, because I’ve learned so much from her. And [executive producer] Michael Gelman showed me the ropes. I was so new to all of this and if it weren’t for her and it weren’t for Michael Gelman and the staff there that really boosted me up and made me look a lot better than I really am, I never would have had a chance to be here and I’m grateful that I’m here. We’re on the same team, same family, same network.”

As most of you probably know by now, Strahan announced that he was leaving Live! for a new gig at Good Morning America and Ripa was reportedly blindsided by the news.

The queen of media, Oprah Winfrey, has also weighed in. She told ETOnline, “Nobody should ever be blindsided. I don’t know who’s in charge, but somebody should’ve said, ‘This is going to happen.’ You shouldn’t have to read it in the paper. Ever. Blindsided is never good.”

Kelly Ripa was a no show after the announcement and ABC has confirmed that she will be absent through at least Monday. And, so the saga continues. 

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