Live with Kelly has been quickly trying to find a replacement co-host for Kelly Ripa since Michael Strahan left the show for a gig with Good Morning America last month. There have been lots of names in the running, and now we're hearing that another former sports professional might be joining the morning show team. Former professional stock car racer Jeff Gordon might soon be sitting beside Kelly Ripa for much more than a temporary co-hosting stint.
According to TVLine, Jeff Gordon has currently been added to list of rumored replacement hosts that Live with Kelly is looking into right now. Gordon has already had a lot of experience on the Live set; he's stepped in to help Kelly Ripa out with hosting duties nine times previously, during the Live with Regis and Kelly era. He also co-hosted with Regis Philbin once in 2001, before Ripa was brought in as a replacement for Kathie Lee Gifford. This means that the show, and Ripa, are probably already fond of the personality and talent that he brings to the morning gab fest. A decision has hardly been made at this point, though. The show will continue to place Ripa with different co-hosts until a final decision on her new permanent daytime buddy is chosen sometime later this summer.
Jeff Gordon retired in 2015 after 23 full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series seasons. He won the Sprint Cup four times, and the Daytona 500 three times. He's third on the all-time Cup win list with 93 wins, which is the most for NASCAR since 1972. Gordon was also the leader for most consecutive races participated in through the 2015 season, racking up 797 races. NASCAR named Gordon one of their 50 best drivers in 1998, and Foxsports.com named him the fifth best NASCAR driver of all time.
Fans of Live with Kelly and Michael were shocked a little over a month ago when it was announced that Michael Strahan would be leaving his co-hosting duties on the show after only four years. Actually, Kelly Ripa was shocked, too, as evidenced by her mini-meltdown when Strahan said he was leaving live on the air when Ripa wasn't even co-hosting that day. He was originally supposed to stick around on Live until he started his full time GMA job in September, but not long after things blew up on the set of Live, he decided to take off within a month of announcing his departure.
Well, the hunt for Kelly Ripa's partner in daytime crime will be ongoing for a least a few more months. At the end of the summer we'll be able to see if Jeff Gordon made enough of an impact to secure a permanent place in Live with Kelly's second seat for the foreseeable future.
