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Michael Strahan and Kelly Ripa Have Been Through a Lot. Are They Still Friends? Here’s What Strahan Says

Sep 21, 2016  •  Post A Comment

The friendship between Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan, who worked together for four years as co-hosts of “Live with Kelly and Michael,” is over, according to Strahan.

As Ripa continues to search for a new co-host and Strahan gets on with his new job on “Good Morning America,” Strahan tells People: “The most disappointing thing to me was that I was painted as the bad guy, because I value the way I carry myself. I don’t want people to see me as ‘Oh, he just ran out, just left them there.’ That’s just not true.”

ABC has apparently admitted as much, with the report citing a source saying that network executives apologized to Strahan around the time of his abrupt departure from “Live” for putting him in a tough spot with Ripa.

“Just last week, Disney/ABC Chief Ben Sherwood publicly admitted to The Hollywood Reporter that the network ‘made some mistakes’ in the handling of Strahan’s exit,” the report notes.

“Nevertheless, Strahan and Ripa’s relationship was irreparably damaged,” People adds, quoting Strahan saying: “I wasn’t surprised by her reaction at all, but I can’t control somebody else’s actions. I was there four years, and it’s about more than just being in front of the camera.”

Strahan also said: “At one point I think we were friends. I don’t know what happened at the end. I learned a lot from her, though.”

3 Comments

  1. She’s a spoiled brat bitch. You’re better off Michael..

  2. He his a big boy and could have insisted on letting her know he was leaving if he really cared. Everyone should stop making excuses for him.

  3. I understand Kelly’s reaction to being left out of the loop, and I also understand Michael feeling caught in the middle. It was upper management at ABC that blew it by insisting he keep the news of his departure quiet. Kelly made it clear when Regis left that she felt blindsided that time. When they did the exact same thing to her again this time, I don’t blame her a bit for being ticked off.

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