It's been nearly a year since Michael Strahan departed Live! With Kelly and Michael, leaving co-host Kelly Ripa behind without a permanent partner. His decision to move to Good Morning America full-time left the 9 a.m. morning show as Live! With Kelly.
Since Strahan left an open seat, Ripa has been rotating various celebrities, journalists and musicians to fill his role. Jerry O'Connell, Christian Slater, Anderson Cooper and Mark Consuelos have guest co-hosted the most out of all the candidates, leading many to believe that any of these men could be the next permanent fixture...but does she really need a permanent co-host?
Live! With Kelly's ever-rotating lineup has kept viewers on their toes, giving them the opportunity to judge a new face each and every time. Does this celebrity have good chemistry? Does she seem awkward?
Everyone becomes a judge each time a new face appears next to Ripa's, adding an entirely new dynamic to the show.
Ripa even opened up the co-host chair to anyone who wanted it, given they won the nationwide search. The winner ended up being a Pennsylvania teacher named Richard Curtis, who has appeared on her show six times. Curtis surprised Ripa and America when he proved he had the chops for live TV, giving audiences a feeling that anything is possible. With positive vibes overflowing out of Ripa's studio, who needs anyone more permanent than Ripa?
Shortly after Strahan gave up his seat, there seemed to be a palpable tension in the air. Substitutions were added last minute, and it felt like people were tuning in to see if any shade would be thrown. Of course, Ripa kept it completely professional. She addressed the controversy about not being included in any meetings and then moved on with the conversation. Eventually, the tension subsided and the fun began.
Did anyone really miss Strahan's presence? It didn't seem like it, especially when you take a look at the ratings. Live! reached record highs for the first time since summer 2016 in December, bringing in a 2.6 rating vs. a previous 2.5 rating. Since then, ratings have been relatively steady.
The morning talk show also earned a 2017 Daytime Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Talk Show / Entertainment category, and Ripa herself nabbed one in the Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host category.
Viewers have gotten used to the ever-changing rotation, so if Ripa and ABC decides to sit someone there permanently, fans are then going to have to restart the process of getting used to him/her. Why bother? As the old adage goes, let's not fix what isn't broken.