ALTHOUGH it’s been 10 years since Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan’s nasty falling out, it appears they’re still very much at odds.
Everything seemed to be fine between the pair during their four-year run as co-hosts of Live! With Kelly and Michael.
However, their bond, both professionally and personally, appeared to have been forever severed when news broke in April 2016 that Michael, 54, was leaving the show for Good Morning America.
Variety later reported that Kelly, 55, learned of Michael’s exit from ABC executives, just minutes before it was announced to the public.
It’s suspected that the apparent poor communication ignited the duo’s feud, especially when Kelly was a no-show in the following episode while Michael discussed his departure.
She also didn’t return to work until the following week, telling the live studio audience she needed time to gather her thoughts.
Kelly noted that the sudden change prompted “a much greater conversation about communication and consideration, and most importantly, respect in the workplace.”
The veteran talk show host added, “Apologies have been made, and the best thing to come out of all of this, you guys, is that our parent company has assured me that Live is a priority.“
She then appeared to put on a brave face for the camera, telling Michael that she was “thrilled” about his new endeavor.
“[GMA] is a tremendous opportunity, and I couldn’t be and we couldn’t be prouder of you and everything we accomplished together,” the TV personality said.
Viewers weren’t convinced Kelly’s words were genuine, as many clocked the apparent tension in Michael’s remaining days on the show.
Their usual rapport and banter also appeared forced to some, leading to rumors that Kelly was angry over Michael’s abrupt exit.
Michael alluded that he and Kelly weren’t on good terms in an interview with People later that year.
“I wasn’t surprised by [Kelly’s] reaction at all, but I can’t control somebody else’s actions,” the former NFL star told the outlet.
“I was there four years, and it’s about more than just being in front of the camera.”
Michael was Kelly’s first permanent co-host after Regis Philbin retired from the gig in November 2011.
After Michael left, she had a string of guest co-hosts before Ryan Seacrest held the role from 2017 to 2023.
Kelly’s husband, Mark Consuelos, is now her co-host, and she’s vowed that he will be her last.
Fans suspected that the constant turnover could be why there appears to be lasting tension between Kelly and Michael.
In a 2020 interview with Variety, Kelly admitted she felt blindsided by Michael’s exit and was furious with how it unfolded.
Meanwhile, Michael told the New York Times that same year that he didn’t feel like he was “a part of the team on Live.”
He also claimed that he tried to schedule regular meetings with Kelly to work on their partnership, but the All My Children alum refused to attend.
Kelly appeared to shade Michael in her 2022 memoir, Live Wire: Long Winded Short Stories, by omitting any mention of their time working together.
She also slammed him in another sit-down with Variety in March 2023, speaking about the athlete’s unexpected departure from Live.
“It was very tough,” Kelly admitted.
“Had I known how difficult it would have been, I don’t know that I would have gone for it.
“I just think my ignorance in that situation wound up being my blessing and my superpower. I did not have an easy time,” she added.
Kelly again made it clear that she and Michael weren’t mending their friendship anytime soon when she purposely skipped GMA host Robin Roberts’ wedding to avoid the ex-New York Giants defensive end.
In September 2023, a source exclusively told The U.S. Sun that Kelly “refused to be in the same room as Michael” and was therefore missing their mutual friend Robin‘s wedding to Amber Laign.
Meanwhile, another insider claimed that Kelly’s feud with Michael had nothing to do with her absence from the wedding, as they’ve been at the same events before without incident.
However, it seemed they still hadn’t put their feud to bed, as ABC staffers reportedly braced for a meltdown in April 2025 when GMA was moved into the same building as Live.
According to the New York Post, GMA’s new studio is just steps away from Live! With Kelly and Mark, raising the chances of there being an awkward encounter between the enemies.
“They will be feet away from each other — he will be able to smell her perfume,” an ABC insider told the outlet.
“The staff is on tenterhooks. These two do not speak.”
They also said there were plans in place to ensure that Kelly and Michael don’t cross paths in the building.
An ABC spokesperson debunked this claim in a statement, insisting that the pair are professionals and didn’t need special parameters to co-exist under one roof.
“There is absolutely no truth to this – both Kelly and Michael are consummate professionals and are excited to continue to co-host their top-rated shows in our new state of the art studios,” the statement read.
Michael’s final episode on Live was May 13, 2016, which was bumped up from his initial expected departure in September.
