Michael Strahan to Co-Host “Live!” with Kelly Ripa
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Dave Russell/ABC(NEW YORK) — Kelly Ripa’s got a new morning TV partner: Michael Strahan.
“We finally have our new guy. That’s right I said guy,” Ripa said on Live! Tuesday as she introduced the former football star. “It’s an exciting morning.”
“I’m speechless,” Strahan said. “It’s a dream come true.”
Reports that Strahan landed the gig began circulating in August. The former New York Giants star was among the 59 co-hosts who have filled in since the departure of Regis Philbin, who hosted Live! for 28 years before departing last November.
Other candidates for Philbin’s old job included Saturday Night Live’s Seth Meyers and NY1 anchor Pat Kiernan. Many co-hosts came for fun, like Neil Patrick Harris, Josh Groban, Nick Lachey and Ripa’s husband, Mark Consuelos.
Strahan, 40, has dabbled in other TV projects since retiring from the Giants after their 2008 Super Bowl win. He serves as a co-host of Fox NFL Sunday. He also starred in the short-lived Fox sitcom Brothers in 2009 and has appeared in several commercials.
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