Michael Strahan‘s four-year run on Live! With Kelly and Michael ended rather unceremoniously Friday morning. Unlike the sendoffs given to Live!‘s Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford in years past, Strahan’s farewell episode was a much quieter affair—no doubt a result of the controversy surrounding his exit. Strahan preferred the “simple and low-key” approach, though. As a source told E! News earlier this week, “He doesn’t need hoopla. He appreciates everyone’s efforts but it’s not something he expects or needs.” As Strahan himself confirmed on Friday’s show, “I don’t like a big to-do about it.” Tensions have been running high ever since Apr. 19, when his co-host, Kelly Ripa, first learned that executives planned to transfer him to ABC’s Good Morning America full-time this fall.
A “livid” Ripa skipped work Apr. 20, which sent producers scrambling to fill her seat. When she returned Apr. 26, Ripa insisted the dispute was about “respect in the workplace,” adding that she didn’t blame Strahan. “I am thrilled for you.”
Intentional or not, the co-hosts both wore black on Friday’s show. “Don’t take this as a bad sign: It’s Friday the 13th,” Ripa said. Strahan argued that 13 “is a lucky number” and joked about his tall stature, telling her, “I am happy. I’m not six feet under. I’m six-foot-five above the ground.”
“It is your final day. We all came today to celebrate you,” Ripa said, promising more tributes within the show. Then, she joked, “We want to remind the audience that there is a run on discounted merchandise.” Strahan riffed off his co-host, saying, “They’re collector’s items now!”
Jokes aside, Strahan described his exit as “bittersweet.”
“This is a moment that I didn’t anticipate…at least at this point, but I’m going to enjoy it. I’m not dying. I’m still in the family,” he said. “And I’m going to come back if I’m ever asked to co-host.”
“You can fill in for me,” Ripa said. “I start vacation in a couple of weeks!”
“I don’t know about that,” Strahan said, joking that it might be “too soon.”
The co-hosts reviewed some of Strahan’s best moments, but the episode was not entirely dedicated to Strahan’s time as Ripa’s co-hosted. Instead, they interviewed The Good Guys actor Matt Bomer and New York Knicks player Carmelo Anthony.
ABC had originally planned for Strahan to remain on Live! through the summer, but on Apr. 26, a show spokesperson told E! News that his last day had been moved up to May 13. The decision, it turned out, was made at Ripa’s insistence. “What we’ve explained to them is, well, if you had asked us, we would have told you, ‘Guys, we need to start looking because we have summer hiatus. We have vacation time. We need to find people. If we’re going to have this list narrowed down at least to a manageable size by the fall, we need to start now,'” Ripa said in People‘s May 23 issue. “We have to now find another great person, which is fun but challenging. Our show is one based on chemistry and camaraderie and trust. All those things don’t just happen; it doesn’t fall out of the sky. It takes a lot of work, and it takes a group discussion.”
An ABC News spokesman previously confirmed that Strahan will continue his part-time role on Good Morning America, appearing a few times a week, before moving to the show full-time in September. Strahan will also tape a full season’s worth of $100,000 Pyramid later this summer.
Who will succeed Strahan? Some of the guest hosts aren’t in contention for the job, like Jimmy Kimmel, who joins Ripa on Monday, and David Muir, who joins her on Thursday. Other guest co-hosts include Jussie Smollett, Cedric the Entertainer, Daniel Dae Kim, Fred Savage, Seal and Andy Cohen. Ripa’s reported first choice, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, is not yet scheduled to fill in.