You heard it straight from the horse's mouth!

Kelly Ripa is finally ready to open up about what really went down with Michael Strahan's early departure from Live! With Kelly and Michael, and she seems to be doing her best to take the high road despite the very volatile situation.

"There's a part of me that can say, 'Okay, I understand. This may have been an oversight.' And again, after 26 years, at this point we are like a family. And sometimes when you are so comfortable with somebody, you may not give them the same consideration as somebody you're not as comfortable with – a certain formality falls away," she confessed to the mag about learning of her co-host's new gig at the same time as the media.

"I think that all people are deserving of fair treatment in the work place. People deserve respect. People should be treated equally and with dignity. I think that requires a certain amount of empathy on a level. When you're dealing with big business, it's easy to forget that you're dealing with people and that people have feelings. It's easy to just look at it like a business unit, a unit, a unit," she added.

The bubbly TV personality also wants people to know why she took the day off after Strahan's move to GMA was announced.

"I think what people need to understand about the entire situation is that I didn't just not show up. I said, in the room, 'I am going to take the day off.' I needed to actually sit and gather information. I needed to make sure I said the appropriate things on TV and didn't just come out and say whatever," she explained.

Despite it all, she has nothing but kind words for her former work husband. "I get it. We're excited for Michael. He wanted that job, and it's great for him. I think it is a perfect match, I really do. However, what nobody considered is there's a whole other group of people that it really impacts, because we have to now find another great person," she divulged.

Now this, people, is how you handle something with class!