David M. Russell, Disney/ABC Home Entertainment and TV DistributionMichael Strahan does not miss LIVE, but he bears no ill will towards the show.
The 44-year-old former football star had co-hosted the daytime talk series with Kelly Ripa for more than three years and left in May. Ripa did not take the news of his departure well and things appeared tense between the two after it was revealed publicly.
Strahan had left LIVE to join Good Morning America full-time after serving as a part-time contributor since 2014. He has appeared on the morning show just three times since his departure from LIVE.
"I really haven't missed it," Strahan says in an upcoming episode of the Netflix show Chelsea, according to multiple reports. "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."
In an interview with DuJour magazine, posted a week after he left LIVE, Strahan had said, "I loved being at LIVE. It's a great show, great people and I'm very fortunate to have been a part of it."
LIVE was formally called LIVE With Kelly and Michael when Strahan co-hosted the show and its title was changed to LIVE With Kelly after he left. Ripa was initially kept in dark about Strahan's exit and was "livid" about that. Following the news, she refused to appear on LIVE for four weekdays. ABC later apologized. After Ripa returned to the show, she launched some not-too-subtle zingers bout to her job and contract negotiations.
Strahan said on Chelsea he has not "really haven't had a chance to watch" LIVE since he left, adding, "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."
Following the announcement of his exit, producers began looking for his replacement. In recent weeks, Ripa has appeared with guest co-hosts, such as Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen, who many fans expect are in the running to replace Strahan full-time.