Michael Strahan, Co-host of Live!, will be leaving the show and join the cast of Good Morning America in September 2016. Sources suggest Kelly Ripa was unaware of this news until Disney, owner of ABC, made the announcement to the public on Tuesday morning. Sources also say she was visibly upset, then protested by refusing to co-host Wednesday’s Live! show.
As Ripa refused to work Wednesday morning, Strahan was forced to make the awkward announcement along side guest co-host, Ana Gasteyer.
While the show has been doing well since Strahan replaced Regis Philbin in 2012, rumors suggest that Good Morning America will extend its timeframe by one hour. This will either push Live! to a different time slot or it will go off the air, according to rumors.
Among the chaos and speculation taking place behind the scenes, Strahan took a moment at the end of Wednesday’s episode to say, “I really want to thank of course Kelly Ripa because Kelly welcomed me here and I’ve learned so much from her. She’s been an amazing influence on me and it has truly changed my life to be here with her. I know that the show will continue to be strong and great because of Kelly and Michael Gelman and the staff here. Everybody is so talented and this show has not been around for over 30 years by mistake.”
Although the long-running show’s fate is anyone’s guess, loyal fans are certain that the two still have a long career in television.