'I Am Fine!' Kelly Ripa Reveals The Truth Behind Michael Strahan's Sudden 'Live' Departure

Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan may have called a truce in front of Live With Kelly and Michael cameras, but behind closed doors, Kelly tells a different story.

As Michael's last day approaches on May 13, Kelly, 45, is finally speaking up about her feelings on his sudden departure — and how execs broke the news to the TV diva.

"There's a part of me that can say, 'Okay, I understand. This may have been an oversight,'" she told PEOPLE. "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."

"I think that all people are deserving of fair treatment in the work place. People deserve respect," she continued.

"I think that requires a certain amount of empathy on a level," she told the publication. "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."

Still, the soap opera star insists that she's "not dealing with monsters" at ABC, saying that " sometimes stability and dependability can be misinterpreted as passive. Like, 'Oh, we don't have to worry about her, she's fine. She's fine.' "

"And I am fine, but I need assurances that we're all going to be fine," she concluded.