Michael Strahan recently opened up about his experiences of racial discrimination at an ABC and Disney town hall. The former NFL star explained that he felt he could not “raise his voice” at work for fear of being discriminated against.
Although Kelly Ripa, Strahan’s former co-host, was not referenced by name, many fans think Strahan was referring to his time on the Live! With Kelly show.
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According to Page Six, the talk was meant to discuss the "reality of reporting and race."
The article continues,"Michael said that there were some very tense situations with executives who got argumentative and loud on the show, and he was very aware he couldn't speak up or raise his voice as he was worried he would be seen as threatening."
Although Michael never specifically mentioned Kelly Ripa by name, and sources say he was actually referring to his experiences at ABC more generally, previous reports have pointed to tension between the two personalities.
In a January interview with the New York Times, Strahan explained, "I’ve had jobs where I got there and felt like: 'Wow, I didn’t know I was supposed to be a sidekick.'"
He continued, "I thought I was coming here to be a partner."
Strahan, who left Live! With Kelly for GMA in April 2016, also touched on his relationship with Ripa after his controversial exit.
He explained that Ripa decided not to meet him before he left the show, but says that there is no hard feelings: "I don’t hate her. I do respect her for what she can do at her job. I cannot say enough about how good she is at her job."
In a 2019 Time interview, Strahan also alluded to tension in their friendship since he left the show, explaining, "I learned through all that went down with that, you can’t convince people to like you."
"I haven’t spoken to her in a long time," he continued.
