Michael Strahan caused a stir in 2016 when he ditched his role as co-host of "Live! With Kelly and Michael" for a full-time gig on "Good Morning America."
Kelly Ripa was blindsided by the news and although she tried to put on a friendly face, the tension was evident.
Now Strahan is opening up about his co-host in a candid interview with The New York Times, published Monday.
"One thing I will not do is alter my attitude for somebody else’s," Strahan said, adding that he had learned a lot from Ripa but, "when it was time to go, it was time to go," he continued. "Certain things that were going on behind the scenes just caught up."
Strahan said he found the mental aspect of working on TV very similar to football. He did not want to be on a show and feel like he was being carried by everyone else. He wanted all parties involved to be successful.
"I’ve done things where I went in with team concepts, and I got there and realized it’s not about team," he said. "It’s selfish, and I don’t operate well under that."
No names were dropped but when prompted, Strahan said he "had jobs" where he felt more like a sidekick than a partner.
Being on "Live! With Kelly and Michael" was certainly a unique "experience" and Strahan said he had respect for Ripa and Michael Gelman, who acted as longtime executive producer of the "‘Live!" franchise.
However, he felt his departure could have been handled better. At the time, it seemed he had made an impulsive decision behind Ripa's back but Strahan said that was not the case.
"I didn’t wake up and say, 'I want a job at G.M.A.' I was asked to do it by the people who run the network," he said.
"It was really not a choice. It was a request. But it was treated as if I was the guy who walked in and said, 'I'm leaving.' That part was totally misconstrued, mishandled in every way."
Strahan said the relevant people have since come forth to apologize but for him, the damage was already done. All he could do was shake it off and keep on going, just like in football.
"For me, it was like: Move on. Success is the best thing. Just keep on moving."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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