Kelly Goes 'Rogue!' Ripa Blindsides Michael Strahan With Shocking Divorce Dig
The bitter feud between Live! co-hosts Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan continued on Friday as Ripa blindsided her co-host with a nasty divorce dig. And RadarOnline.com has learned it was totally unplanned!
"Opening chat topics were set and producers went over them," an insider told RadarOnline.com. "But Kelly went rogue."
Ripa enthusiastically began, "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. So you've gotten divorced …"
Strahan immediately looked annoyed at the unexpected topic change.
"He was shocked and taken aback," an insider told RadarOnline.com. "His face said it all. He hates talking about his divorce and exes and knows she's trying to damage his reputation with women viewers. By contrast, Kelly has been married 20 years."
The NFL star, 44, has been married and divorced two times – to Wanda Hutchins from 1992 to 1996 and Jean Muggli from 1999 to 2006 and had two kids with each of the women.
"After segment he confronted her at break," the insider revealed. "She laughed and said it was just fun, but he got more and more angry and after show he snapped at her backstage."
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, tensions between the two hosts began last week when Strahan announced he was moving on to host Good Morning America without telling Ripa first. In an apparent shock, she then took an unexpected one-week hiatus and retuned on Tuesday. Now, Strahan is expected to leave in just a few weeks — much faster than initially planned. And according to the insider, the end can't come soon enough.
"He fears this is going to go on until he leaves!" said the source. "She's taken digs at him, but never on live TV before. Some segments are prepped, but this part was live! They could not have edited her comments out and she knew it."