Friday morning marked the official last episode of Michael Strahan on Live!, and together with his on-screen partner of four years Kelly Ripa, he toasted to a great tenure on the show with an eager look forward at things to come.
Ripa presented her pal with a series of gifts commemorating his time on the venerable morning program, most notably one from a Halloween episode of the show. She said, “So as a going-away present, we decided to commemorate some of your biggest halloween achievements by preserving a pair of actual heels you wore on the show by having them bronzed!” Strahan’s look of shock led to a, “Seriously?” to the off-screen producers.
“Nobody rocks a size 16 stiletto better than you!” Ripa said of the bronzed gift, before continuing with earnest sentiments on his departure.
“We couldn’t be prouder of you,” Ripa said with a glass of champagne firmly in hand. “You’ve given us so much joy in the morning… from your smile to your awful French accent,” she joked. “I look forward to watching you every morning and see what else you achieve,” she said toasting her colleague, who will joining the GMA team full time in September.
“I didn’t know what to expect coming from sports to daytime
The pair, which has cohosted the Live! franchise for the last four years together faced some controversy in recent weeks following the announcement that Strahan would be vacating the show and heading to a full-time opportunity with Good Morning America. In response, Ripa took an unexpected and otherwise unannounced break from the program, saying,“It’s about respect in the workplace,” following her return.
“And Kelly, you are the best. I love you baby!” Strahan told Ripa Friday morning.
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J.D. Durkin (@jiveDurkey) is an editorial producer and columnist at Mediaite.
[image via screengrab]