It’s been a decade since the public fallout between Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan, yet the tension between the former Live! with Kelly and Michael co-hosts remains palpable. The pair, once inseparable during their four-year run, are still at odds, and it’s clear the wounds are deep.
Everything seemed fine between Kelly, 55, and Michael, 54, until April 2016, when news broke that Michael would be leaving Live! to join Good Morning America—and Kelly wasn’t happy. Reports later revealed that Kelly found out about his departure only minutes before the public announcement, and the fallout was swift.
Kelly skipped the next episode, explaining to her studio audience that she needed time to “gather her thoughts.” She later stated that the entire situation sparked a much-needed conversation about respect, communication, and consideration in the workplace. However, many viewers couldn’t shake the feeling that Kelly’s words didn’t reflect her true feelings, especially as the remaining episodes with Michael were filled with forced banter and visible discomfort.
Their rocky relationship became even more apparent when Michael addressed the tension in an interview later that year, admitting that he wasn’t surprised by Kelly’s reaction. “I wasn’t surprised by [Kelly’s] reaction at all, but I can’t control somebody else’s actions,” he said. He further claimed that he had tried multiple times to work on their partnership but was met with resistance.
For Kelly, who had worked alongside Regis Philbin for years before Michael’s arrival, the abrupt departure of her first permanent co-host left her blindsided. In a 2020 Variety interview, Kelly admitted to feeling furious about the way it all went down, but also noted that she had to focus on moving forward.
Since Michael left, Kelly has seen a revolving door of co-hosts, with Ryan Seacrest filling the role from 2017 to 2023, before her husband, Mark Consuelos, officially took the reins. Kelly has stated that Mark will be her last co-host, though fans wonder if the lingering tension with Michael still casts a shadow over her time on Live!.
Michael, meanwhile, echoed similar sentiments about feeling alienated from the Live! family in a 2020 New York Times interview, admitting that he never felt fully accepted as part of the team. Despite the drama, both Kelly and Michael have continued their respective careers. However, rumors and reports about their feud still make headlines.
In her 2022 memoir, Live Wire: Long Winded Short Stories, Kelly seemingly shaded Michael by not mentioning their time together. In March 2023, she described his departure as “tough” and questioned whether she would have stayed in the role had she known the fallout would be so difficult.
The bad blood between the two remains so intense that Kelly reportedly skipped Good Morning America host Robin Roberts’ wedding in 2023 to avoid running into Michael. Sources claimed Kelly refused to be in the same room as her former co-host, highlighting how far their rift has gone.
More recently, in April 2025, New York Post sources revealed that ABC staff were bracing for an awkward confrontation when Good Morning America moved into the same building as Live! Staff feared the close proximity would lead to uncomfortable encounters between Kelly and Michael.
Despite these tensions, ABC has denied the claims, stating that both Kelly and Michael are professionals and will coexist in the new shared space without issue. An ABC spokesperson insisted, “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.”
Their long-standing feud shows no sign of resolution, and it raises the question: will Kelly and Michael ever reconcile, or has their relationship been irreparably damaged?
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