Michael Strahan Refuses To Comment On Kelly Ripa Feud Before Last Day On ‘Live!’

Michael Strahan may be leaving “Live!” for a new opportunity, but he’s got many fond memories from the show to take with him. The former NFL player shot his final broadcast alongside Kelly Ripa on Friday and will be taking the summer off before beginning “Good Morning America” in September. Now he’s officially begun his summer respite and is hard-pressed to pick one thing about “Live!” that he’ll miss more than others.

Us Weekly caught up with Strahan, 44, Thursday to discuss his impending exit. He told the publication there were “so many things” he enjoyed about being on “Live!” Strahan hosted the show alongside Ripa for four years before announcing his departure, which is said to have created a rift between the two. When asked about their alleged falling-out, Strahan shut down. He declined to comment on whether he and Ripa, 45, were in a better place now that his final show had arrived.

“I can’t,” he replied. “Sorry.”

Strahan also tweeted a message of thanks to fans and producers. He shared with his 1.4 million followers that he was “humbled” to have been supported by so many, adding that his time on “Live!” had been “unbelievable.” Strahan signed off with a simple “thank you,” offering no more information about his summer plans.

While it appears that there may still be some bad blood between Ripa and Strahan, the former New York Giants player’s last day was relatively drama-free. The pair sat down alongside each other like they had almost every weekday for the previous four years. At one point Strahan told viewers “a lot has happened” during his career, including fun moments between him and his co-host. In closing, Strahan and Ripa shared a hug while audience members cheered.

While Strahan seems to be spending time reflecting on the past, Ripa is focused on moving forward. On Thursday she teased a potential new co-host, revealing to fans that it may just be a female. People magazine reported the network plans to rotate guest stars for a few episodes following Strahan’s final show. Their hope is that doing so will help them find the perfect fit. Ripa opened up about the process, telling People that it “takes a lot of work.” She compared their continuing search to a “puzzle” or “algorithm.”

“From my perspective, I like to get as many different people, men and women, in the chair as possible — just because you never know who you’re going to hit it off with,” she said. “Some of the people I’ve hit it off with the best have been women, which is not unusual for me. I’m a girls’ girl. I like the dynamic of that.”

The decision is still very much up in the air, though it seems everyone has an opinion about who should be hired as Strahan’s successor. On Tuesday “Dancing With the Stars” pro Val Chmerkovskiy opened up to E! News about his desire to co-host “Live!” He told the publication that he was totally “in,” adding that he’d like to see him and Strahan switch jobs.

“Michael will come on ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ and I could go on and help out with Kelly. Problem solved!” He joked.

Others rumored to be considered for the position include Jane Lynch and Anderson Cooper. Andy Cohen and Mario Lopez were also among those rumored to be in the running, though they have since denounced those claims as false.