Gary Gershoff/WireImageWhen will Kelly Ripa be back?!
E! News has confirmed that the daytime co-host will not be returning to her post on Live! for the rest of this week following the news of Michael Strahan's surprising exit from the show. A spokesperson for the show tells us that Ripa's seat will be filled for the next few days until the beginning of next week, and reveals which familiar faces we can see taking her spot.
"On tomorrow's LIVE with Kelly and Michael, Erin Andrews will guest co-host with Michael Strahan. Friday's show—which already was scheduled to pre-tape on Thursday—also will be co-hosted by Andrews," the spokesperson tells E! News.
"Kelly Ripa will be out on Friday and Monday for a previously-scheduled vacation. On Monday's show, Michael will be joined by Pretty Little Liars star Shay Mitchell."
On Tuesday after Live! aired, an internal memo at ABC revealed Strahan would be leaving the show by summer's end to work on Good Morning America full-time, which was a surprise to both fans and Ripa.
In fact, E! News has learned that executives broke the news to her just after the show finished taping—around the same time everyone else first heard about it. "She was livid," a source told E! News exclusively. "It wasn't pretty."
Strahan joined Ripa and others in the meeting. "He wanted to be there. He didn't have to be, but he didn't want to have her hear it and not be there," the source says. "He tried to do the stand up thing."
At the end of Wednesday's show, Strahan said, "I really want to thank, of course, Kelly Ripa, because Kelly welcomed me here and I've learned so much from her, and she's just been an amazing influence on me. This has truly changed my life to be here with her, and I know that the show will continue to be strong and great because of Kelly...Kelly, I thank you. I love you and everyone else here at LIVE!."
Strahan is expected to stay on the show through August. LIVE! will audition a new co-host for Ripa beginning this fall.