Report...Ripa Parlayed Strahan Flap Into Pay Raise

Last Tuesday, Kelly Ripa strolled onto the set of “Live With Kelly and Michael,” declaring her unofficial strike over.

“I’m going to be completely honest,” she said. “I’m fairly certain that there are trained professional snipers with tranquilizer darts in case I drift too far off message.”

Ripa continued, stating she “earned the right” to take an unscheduled break from the show after being blindsided last week by the news that her co-host, Michael Strahan, was ditching “Live” for “Good Morning America.”

According to PageSix at The NYPost, for nearly four years, Ripa and Strahan have been lauded for their on-air chemistry — a lighthearted rapport that led to a 9 percent rise in the show’s ratings. But off-air, sources say, the two hosts were frosty: Ripa resented Strahan’s lack of devotion to the series and his rising star; Strahan was sick of being Ripa’s lesser-paid sidekick.

A show insider says Strahan — who reportedly raked in $4 million as the show’s co-host in 2012 — merely used the program as a stepping stone and quickly became a diva.

He would show up late to tapings, regularly bring his entourage to set, and made the crew stop everything twice a week during pretapings for him to get a haircut at the studio. (A source close to Strahan says the haircuts were approved by “Live” executive producer Michael Gelman.)

According to an industry insider, Ripa managed to parlay the recent scandal into a raise on her already-hefty $20 million annual salary. (An ABC rep had no comment.) But the host is still fuming that she was informed mere minutes before a press release went public that Strahan would be leaving “Live” in September to become a full-time anchor on “GMA.”

His exit date has since been pushed to May 13, four months earlier than planned.

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