Kelly Ripa 'Went Crazy' When She Heard Michael Strahan Was Leaving 'Live!' : Source

An enraged Kelly Ripa "went crazy" when she heard the news that Michael Strahan would be departing Live!

Photo: Roy Rochlin/FilmMagic

brightcove.createExperiences(); An enraged Kelly Ripa “went crazy” when she heard the news that Michael Strahan would be departing Live!, a source close to the show tells PEOPLE exclusively.

After wrapping Tuesday’s show, Ripa was pulled aside by network execs, who planned to break the news that Strahan would be leaving the show after this season for a full-time role at Good Morning America. Strahan took part in the discussion “to be respectful of his partner,” the source explains. “It wasn’t up to him to deliver any news. He’s not the boss of the network. He was trying to do the right thing and be there as a support.”

But Ripa didn’t take the news well.

“She went crazy,” says the source, adding that she reacted “like a lunatic. Crazy.” On Wednesday, viewers were surprised to see that she didn’t come to work. Another source told PEOPLE that producers “don’t know yet when she’ll be back.”

“She called the network at midnight last night to say that she said she wasn’t coming in,” the source says. “People love this guy. She should be mad at the network. Not be mad at him.”

As for Strahan, the source says, “he had no problem with her, before, though she was known to be ‘difficult’ in general.”

After her bombastic reaction however, “he’s hurt,” says the source. “It should be a moment of celebration, but it’s bittersweet for him.”

Live! With Kelly and Michael airs weekdays (check local listings).