Former football star Michael Strahan is leaving the daily talk show he co-hosts with Kelly Ripa, Live with Kelly and Michael, to work full-time on Good Morning America (GMA).
ABC said Tuesday that a search for the 44-year-old’s replacement will begin in the fall. The former New York Giant was selected in 2012 to replace Regis Philbin as Ripa’s co-host on the talk show, which airs at 9 a.m. in most markets.
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Strahan had worked a couple of days a week at GMA for the past two years, but he always had to leave midway through to head to the Live with Kelly and Michael studio on Manhattan’s upper West Side.
Fans were quick to either lament or applaud the news once word of his departure leaked on social media:
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On top of his morning hosting gigs, the dad to four is also a sports anchor for Fox and the new host of the upcoming reboot of The $100,000 Pyramid.
In his recent book Wake Up Happy: The Dream Big, Win Big Guide to Transforming Your Life, he wrote about his transition from NFL star to TV superstar.
“Too many of us count ourselves out before we even get a chance. We can be our own worst enemies. Do the work. Be excellent. You’ll find your place, and it may just be where you least expect it,” he said.
– With files from the Associated Press
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