Kathie Lee Gifford has shared a cryptic message about "strength" after criticizing Kelly Ripa's new book.
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Last week, the TV star, 69, insisted that she would not be reading the talk show host's Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories, which mentions their former co-star, Regis Philbin.
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This prompted Kelly, 52, to yesterday tell Kathie "thank you" for generating publicity around the new release with her comments.
When asked about the book last week on Good Day New York, Kathie – who worked with Regis for 15 years – had said she hoped it wasn't "true" that the book mentioned their former co-star.
She added: "I'm not gonna read the book. I haven't read it....In all the years I knew him, I never saw him unkind to anyone. I never did.”
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In response to the numerous headlines her criticism generated, Kelly said she was seeing the "positives" in an interview this week on the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast.
She explained: "It's really hard to sell a book, right? And this is like, week three of the book, right?
Kelly Ripa has recently released her first book Live Wire
"And I mean, honestly, I'm not gonna lie, I was not reading any headlines anywhere. And suddenly all of these headlines pop up and there's all of this attention on my book.
"So I am a person that tends to take a negative and turn it into a positive. And so my ultimate comment is, thank you."
Kelly admitted that she hadn't seen Kathie’s much-discussed interview, and had been torn over whether to respond.
Suggesting that her predecessor would have a different take if she read the book, the former actress noted: "I knew writing a book was going to open me up to all sorts of criticism, right?
Regis Philbin passed away aged 88 in 2020
"But people who read the book have a very different take on those chapters because they read the book."
Just hours after the podcast was released, Kathie posted an excerpt from the Bible on Twitter.
She wrote: "Father God, please help us to understand how important this is for us. We know You love us and long to bless us. Please give us strength."
Previously speaking to PEOPLE about penning the chapter about her working relationship with Regis – who passed away in July 2020 aged 88 – the mom-of-three said it was the “hardest” to write.
She noted: "I don't want to feel like I'm slamming anyone or that I'm being disrespectful. But I also want people to know [Live!] was not a cakewalk.
"It took years to earn my place there and earn the things that are routinely given to the men I worked with. Including an office and a place to put my computer."
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