Kelly And Michael Break Out The Champagne And Make Nice For An Emotional Farewell

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After weeks of rumors, tension, and thinly-veiled public sniping, today was finally Michael Strahan’s last day on Live! With Kelly And Michael. Any signs of animosity were absent, however, during the hour-long show filled with clips and “best of” moments.

At the end of the show, Kelly Ripa shared a glass of champagne with Strahan as she wished him an ostensibly sincere farewell (depending how much you want to read into it). “I just want to say, on behalf of myself and all of us, we couldn’t be prouder of you,” Ripa told her departing co-host. “You have given us so much joy in the mornings, from your smile, to your sense of humor, to your horrible French accent. We really are so, so proud of you. We’ve achieved so much together, and I look forward to watching you every morning and seeing what else you achieve on Good Morning America.”

The two then shared an emotional smooch, completing the toast. On Strahan’s part, he said that leaving was bittersweet and he just wanted to thank everybody. “You guys have let me into your homes for the last four years, every day, and I didn’t know what to expect, coming from sports to daytime television, and you guys opened up your hearts to me and opened up your homes to me, and it’s been so overwhelming with the response that we’ve had.”

Well, we guess that’s that, then. Now all there is left to do is endlessly speculate who Strahan’s replacement is going to be, from a Ninja Turtle to Lewis Black. It’s anybody’s game!

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