'The gap is here to stay': Michael Strahan says closing signature gap was April Fools' prank

Michael Strahan's signature gap-tooth smile isn't going anywhere.

After sparking mass speculation about whether he underwent a dental procedure to close the space between his two front teeth, the "Good Morning America" host on Thursday confirmed the ruse was an elaborate April Fools' joke.

"I know a lot of you were wondering, oh, it’s got to be an April Fools' joke, he’s got to be joking with the teeth, he must not have fixed that gap, it’s his signature," Strahan said in a Twitter video, while wearing a mask over his pearly whites.

Strahan then pulled down his mask, revealing his trademark gap still intact: "I just wanted to say April Fools'. C’mon, man. The gap is here to stay for a little while. Not going anywhere anytime soon… My mama likes it."

The 49-year-old football star started his April Fools' joke early on Tuesday, sharing an Instagram video of himself going through a dental procedure in New York to get rid of his gap.

"If I go home and say I'm going to do it, it's going to be 'don't do it.' If I post, it'll be 'don't do it,' if I talk to my friends, it'll be 'don't do it,' if I tell my business partners, it'll be 'don't do it.' But I've got to do what I want to do for myself," Strahan says, telling the dentist he was the "only one who knows."

The video came two days before April Fools' Day – normally too far in advance to warrant speculation of being a prank, though Volkswagen walked back its March 29 name change announcement a day later, claiming it was "in the spirit of April Fools' Day."

Even Strahan's "Good Morning America" co-workers weren't sure.

"Michael (was) not available for comment when I called him – he's currently on vacation and I will say it's suspiciously close to April Fools' Day, so we'll just have to wait and see that megawatt smile when Michael gets back to the show next week," "GMA" host Lara Spencer said on the show Wednesday.

In the video, Strahan's first dentist visit shows him getting a mold of his teeth, telling the camera it has been "fifty years in the making." He went through a procedure during a second visit and beamed afterward, showing off a new pearly-white smile sans his usual gap.

"I love it," he said.

On Thursday, Strahan said he was "surprised" by the reaction.

"I didn’t know so many people really cared," he said. "I appreciate all the love for the gap and I’ve had it for almost 50 years now. And a lot of people out there would always say, 'Yeah, you make me feel good about rocking mine.' I know it was a shocker to see it gone."

USA TODAY has reached out to Strahan's representative for further comment.

Contributing: Cydney Henderson

'You don't want COVID': Michael Strahan tells his 'GMA' coworkers he's 'doing well' after diagnosis

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michael Strahan: Closing signature tooth gap was April Fools' prank