Michael Strahan has been officially named as Kelly Ripa’s new permanent co-host on what will now be called “Live! with Kelly and Michael.”
Strahan, who retired after a 15-year career as a defensive end for the New York Giants that earned him a Super Bowl ring and a likely spot in the football Hall of Fame (and who starred in the short-lived FOX sitcom “Brothers”), earned the job over a number of contenders (including Seth Meyers from “SNL”) who had been sitting next to Ripa ever since Regis Philbin left the syndicated talk show.
“As a guest co-host, Michael”s chemistry with Kelly was off the charts, and continued to grow each time he visited the show,” said “Live” producer Michael Gelman in a statement. “The interaction between the co-hosts always has been what makes this show different from any other on television. Kelly and Michael”s ability to play off of one another and just plain have a good time together creates great TV for the audience.”