The Truth Behind Michael Strahan's Exit From Live!

Strahan addressed his Live! exit for years after it happened. He told Chelsea Handler in June 2016 that he hadn't been watching much of his former show, and that he hasn't "missed it," because he later realized how much he "needed a break." He was careful to add, "But I loved it. Don't get me wrong. I loved it." Oh boy. 

A few years later, Strahan sat down with Graham Bensinger, where he laid out his most extensive thoughts on his exit, claiming, "There's nothing I would have done differently," and that he "handled it as professional as you can handle it." When asked why he would ever leave a show on which he was such a big star, Strahan called that point of view "selfish," and said that his pro sports background laid the foundation for his media career. "I've gotten [my success] from working with other people. ... I could care less about having my name on the show. ... I just want to be in great working environments, working with great people, having great experience, man." 

If that sounded like minor shade, things got downright chilly in January 2019, when Strahan told Time the he hadn't "spoken to [Ripa] in a long time." Of the drama surrounding his departure, he said, "I learned through all that went down with that, you can't convince people to like you." 

But there was (allegedly) a whole lot more to the story...  

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