Michael Strahan Exits ‘Live’ With Carefully Choreographed Goodbye As His Name Is Stripped From Graphics

Michael Strahan’s Live! exit is being rushed in every way possible. Not only is Kelly Ripa’s co-host leaving the ABC morning talk show four months earlier than originally planned, but Strahan’s name has already been stripped from all of the show’s graphics, according to Entertainment Tonight.

Michael Strahan wasn’t even out the door before his name was deleted from ABC graphics and signage. The Live! With Kelly and Michael graphics now say Live! Kelly, but the show will soon be called Live! With Kelly, which is what it was labeled when Regis Philbin left in 2011 and before Strahan replaced him in the co-host chair after an exhaustive 10-month search.

Michael Strahan’s Live! exit comes amid a frosty reception from his co-host after it was announced that he will be moving to Good Morning America. ABC staffers neglected to tell Ripa about the casting change ahead of time, and after a stern reminder to Live! staff about the importance of workplace communication, Michael’s move-out date was moved up by four months.

Live! sources told ET that Strahan’s official sendoff would be low key because “if it seems too celebratory, it’ll seem disingenuous due to all the known drama.”

While eyebrows were raised after Michael Strahan’s final Live! date was moved up by months, Ripa told People it was for the good of the show.

“What we’ve explained to [producers] is… Guys, we need to start looking, because we have summer hiatus, we have vacation time. We need to find people. If we’re going to have this list narrowed down at least to a manageable size by the fall, we need to start now,'” Ripa said.

According to TMZ, Michael Strahan said he doesn’t want any fanfare as he exits the show that he co-hosted with Ripa for four years. While Michael’s farewell will include a look back at highlights from his four years on the show, it will be a far cry from Regis Philbin’s emotional sendoff five years ago. In fact, the whole show won’t even be devoted to Strahan’s departure. Special guests New York Nicks star Carmelo Anthony and actor Matt Bomer will be in the studio for interviews about their latest endeavors, just like a regular Live! broadcast.

TMZ reports that Strahan’s final days on the set have been marred by bad blood from Kelly, who barely speaks to him off camera, so it’s no surprise that his name was gone before he said his goodbyes.

Indeed, in the few weeks since Michael Strahan’s departure was announced, Ripa has gotten in digs about his multiple divorces and has been spotted wearing a jacket with the word “Freedom” emblazoned on the back. Viewers have noted a chilly reception between Strahan and his soon-to-be-ex-co-host, so it seems like his expedited exit was a really good idea.

As for who to expect in Michael Strahan’s vacant Live! chair this summer, the guest co-host seat is already lined up with temporary stars like Jimmy Kimmel and Fred Savage. Ripa’s permanent wish list includes longtime pal Anderson Cooper. As for Michael Strahan, he’ll join the already established Good Morning America team of Robin Roberts, Lara Spencer, George Stephanopoulos, and Ginger Zee. While Strahan previously said the move to GMA would be “bittersweet” for him, it’s probably looking a lot sweeter since he made his initial comments.

Take a look at the videos below to see Michael Strahan’s exit announcement and Kelly Ripa addressing Strahan’s departure from Live!

[Photo by Mark Davis/Getty Images]