It’s been a long couple of days for Live! With Kelly and Michael. After Michael Strahan announced his big move to Good Morning America, news broke indicating Kelly Ripa hadn’t been told. She’s taking a few days off from the show in what is being touted as a "prescheduled vacation," leaving Strahan to field all of the questions related to his big move. As it turns out, the real reason he is leaving Live! may not have anything to do with Kelly Ripa. In fact, reports indicate that he may have bigger problems with one of the executive producers on the early morning show.
Reports indicate that Michael Strahan might have chosen to quit Live with Kelly and Michael because of problems with executive producer Michael Gelman. Access Hollywood nabbed the news from a source near to the show, who had the following to say:
Michael made a comment, whispering to me, 'Man, I can't believe I put up with this shit.
As this information doesn’t come directly from the horse’s mouth, it should be taken with a grain of salt, but it would go a long way to explain why Kelly Ripa was so blindsided and upset by the news. Michael Strahan’s addition has helped the ratings to bump up and the two were a really good onscreen team, so she really may not have seen his move to another series coming.
Of course, it should be noted that Strahan has been popping up on Good Morning America for a few years. ABC’s other early morning show could really use a well-liked talent like Michael Strahan, and it’s no real surprise that the show might attempt to nab the guy for a bigger role—especially if he is having problems with producers on his current show. Good Morning America should be a great fit for the former NFL player; unfortunately, it’s just coming at the expense of Kelly Ripa’s feelings.
This explanation also goes a long way to explain why Michael Strahan had such sincere things to say about Kelly Ripa this morning. Early rumors indicated the two may not have been getting along on the set, but if that were true, I can’t imagine why Strahan would have gone out of his way to be this kind and eloquent during an ABC taping this morning:
I need some tips on how to wake up early every day. That's going to be first and foremost, but it's like my second family here. I'm going to miss everybody at Live! I've been sitting next to Kelly every day and having a lot of fun on that show for the last four years. I'm very thankful for her—to her—because I learned so much from her.
Sure, you need to be pleasant to the person who helped make you a talk show name, but you only have to be this nice if you want to be. The deck may not have shaken out in a way that Ripa expected, but both she and Michael Strahan are likable personalities. She’ll land on her feet. Just with a different partner.
