Michael Strahan Opens Up About Stunning Kelly Ripa With His Exit From ‘Live’ — ‘I Really Haven’t Missed It’

Michael Strahan is officially over Live.

During an interview with Chelsea Handler, Strahan dished on his controversial exit from the morning talk show and expressed relief after leaving Kelly Ripa behind.

According to People, Strahan admitted that he has enjoyed the extra time off, though he hasn’t tuned in to watch Live since his departure.

“I really haven’t had a chance to watch [Live],” he stated. “But I think I’ve been working so hard for the last seven or eight years since I retired from football, that it’s been a relief.”

Strahan shocked Ripa when he announced his exit back in May. Strahan left the show for a spot on Good Morning America and is currently hosting The $100,000 Pyramid.

Ripa, meanwhile, is still looking for a new co-host to replace Strahan.

Surprisingly, Strahan doesn’t miss his time on Live. Apparently, the former NFL star needed a break after working with Ripa for so many years.

“I really haven’t missed it,” Strahan shared. “But I loved it. Don’t get me wrong. I loved it. When you get a break, sometimes you kind of go, ‘Wow, I kind of needed it.’ I needed a break.”

Strahan is expected to appear on Good Morning America this coming fall. In the meantime, Fox News reports that he is enjoying his newfound freedom by traveling around the country and spending some much needed time with his family.

Strahan’s sudden exit stirred up a lot of emotions for Ripa, who has been blindsided by co-hosts in the past.

According to Huffington Post, Ripa took a few unplanned days off following Strahan’s announcement. Ripa was clearly upset by the news, though she did eventually return to the show.

When she returned to Live, the tension between Ripa and Strahan was immediately noticeable and continued to escalate.

“I think that all people are deserving of fair treatment in the workplace. People deserve respect,” Ripa later shared. “People should be treated equally and with dignity.”

Ripa was unaware of Strahan’s plans to join Good Morning America, even though the network was in on the negations.

The fact that the network failed to inform Ripa about Strahan’s plans was surprising, especially considering her longtime involvement on the show.

For his part, Michael Strahan stayed on the show for a week after announcing his departure. During his final days on set, Ripa openly dished on Strahan.

Not only did she make digs about contract negotiations, but she also mentioned Strahan’s multiple divorces. To say things were awkward between the two hosts is an understatement.

Ripa reportedly wore a jacket with the words “Freedom” on the back as well.

Strahan finally had enough of the stress and left the show earlier than originally planned. His final day on set was Friday, May 13.

For now, it appears as though Strahan couldn’t wait to leave Live and is enjoying his time away from Ripa.

Although he is enjoying his own freedom, Strahan’s involvement in Good Morning America is going to be just as intense as Live, if not more.

With Strahan out the door, Ripa is still searching for his replacement, though she does have a few promising leads.

At this time, Anderson Cooper is the clear frontrunner for the spot, though the network has not released any casting news.

Hopefully, this is the last time Ripa has to go through the process of finding a new co-host. As fans will recall, Ripa went through a similar ordeal after Regis Philbin left her side in another blindsided departure.

Fans can watch Strahan’s full interview on Chelsea this Friday on Netflix.

Tell us! Were you as shocked as Kelly Ripa with Michael Strahan announced his departure from Live? Let us know in the comments below.

[Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images]