Michael Strahan Talked About His Frayed Relationship With Kelly Ripa

January 29, 2020 / Posted by:

It’s been over three years since Michael Strahan knocked the Botox out of Kelly Ripa when he bounced as her co-host on Live! for Good Morning America. Kelly was mad because she felt disrespected since neither ABC nor Michael told her he was leaving until a minute before the world found out. Humanity was also angry, and is still angry, about Michael’s exit, because his vacant chair was filled by Ryan Seacrest, and the world needs less Seacrest, not more.

Both Kelly and Michael are doing just fine now, but if you’re wondering if their relationship survived the aftermath of Michael’s dive overboard, here’s the quick answer: it hasn’t.

In an interview with the New York Times, Mikey with the good gap spoke on a multitude of topics ranging from his career in the NFL to his current standing with Kelly. And although from the outside it appears that he walked into Kelly’s office, flipped all the tables over and screamed, “I QUIT THIS BITCH!”, with two middle fingers in the air, Michael claims that’s not what happened at all.

I didn’t wake up and say, “I want a job at ‘G.M.A.’” I was asked to do it by the people who run the network. It was really not a choice. It was a request. But it was treated as if I was the guy who walked in and said, “I’m leaving.” That part was totally misconstrued, mishandled in every way. People who should have handled it better have all apologized, but a lot of the damage had already been done. For me, it was like: Move on. Success is the best thing. Just keep on moving.

He also admitted that working on Live! was quite the experience, though he tipped lightly around the whole issue with Kelly. He did admit that behind-the-scenes he felt like he was merely playing the role of sidekick, and that not everything we saw on screen was the real deal. And as far as his issues with Kelly, he tried his best to have conversations with her, but after a while she just couldn’t be bothered with grown folk talk.

One thing I tried to do is have a meeting every few weeks with her. We met a few times, and that was fine. But then eventually she said she didn’t need to meet. Can’t force somebody to do something they don’t want to do.

Michael did go on to say that he respected her work ethic, learned so much from her, blah blah blah. That’s all the shit you have to say just in case she reads the Times and then shows up on GMA’s set ready to pounce on him from across the room like an angry cat escaping a bath. That would make for great television, though.

Pic: ABC

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