Michael Strahan Says He Felt Like a "Sidekick" Working With Kelly Ripa
It's been four years since Michael Strahan left Live! with Kelly & Ryan, and the former co-host is finally ready to talk about his departure (and Kelly Ripa).
In a recent interview with The New York Times, Strahan said working on the show and with Ripa was "an experience."
Michael Strahan is opening up about his challenging relationship with Kelly Ripa. In fact, during a recent interview with The New York Times, the former NFL player and Live! with Kelly & Michael co-host revealed the pair's problems began early on.
"I didn’t know I was supposed to be a sidekick," Strahan said. "I thought I was coming here [to Live! with Kelly & Michael] to be a partner" but—as Strahan seemed to imply—that wasn't the case. "It was an experience!"
“One thing I tried to do is have a meeting every few weeks with her,” Strahan told the Times. “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.”
That said, Strahan is grateful for his time on the program. "I learned so much from Kelly, so much from Michael Gelman," Strahan said. "[She taught me how to] craft a story. ‘What did you do last night?’ ‘Oh, I had a glass of water.’ But you learn to tell the story to make it seem like the most interesting glass of water. Those are things that I learned from her. She’s brilliant in that way.” However, he also knew when it was time to go.
"Certain things that were going on behind the scenes just caught up," Strahan said.
As for his departure, Strahan admitted told the Times that (for the most part) it was handled poorly.
“It could have been handled better," Strahan said. "I didn’t wake up and say, ‘I want a job at GMA.’ I was asked to do it by the people who run the network. It was really not a choice. It was a request... but I 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."
That said, Strahan took it all in stride. "For me, it was like: Move on. Success is the best thing. Just keep on moving." He also acknowledged that he respects his former colleague.
“If people think, ‘Oh, he hates her’ — I don’t hate her," Strahan said. "I do respect her for what she can do at her job. I cannot say enough about how good she is at her job.”
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