ABC executives and LIVE! host Kelly Ripa have been searching for a co-host ever since Regis Philbin’s final taping on November 18, 2011. Chemistry is critical in casting a gig of this scale, because one wrong choice and the entire highly-profitable ship could sink to the bottom of daytime television’s sea of competition. Kelly Ripa has always been a huge personal favorite of mine, and it’s been nothing short of impressive to watch her guide LIVE! through the skies all by herself with one major engine missing. If anyone thinks that job is easy, they are hugely mistaken, and Ripa has been a pro not only since Philbin’s departure but especially since she first joined the hugely successful morning talk show back in 2001. Earlier today it was announced that former NFL star-turned-TV personality Michael Strahan would officially join the show as co-host on September 4th. Strahan has guest-hosted with Kelly a total of 15 times, most recently on July 3rd, and of all the candidates in my opinion, Strahan easily rose far above the rest (when rumors swirled last week that SNL’s Seth Myers was the frontrunner I almost cried). Ripa and Strahan are amazing to watch on screen, and I can’t wait to see what these two get up to in the coming years! Congrats to the entire LIVE! team on a brilliant choice.
