Kelly Ripa’s best friend and possible Michael Strahan replacement, Andy Cohen, broke his silence regarding the drama surrounding ABC’s “LIVE! With Kelly and Michael.”
“When I look at this whole situation, it’s worth noting that the two of them, Kelly and Michael, they had such great chemistry—such great chemistry. And I’m just looking at this—it just seems like a premature end to a great relationship. It ended way too prematurely, and I think so much has been written about this situation and how it was handled,” said Cohen during his SiriusXM radio show on April 25. “I can’t say this went down in the greatest way. He had this great relationship on TV and it was a big, bad breakup.”
Cohen, an executive producer for BravoTV’s “Top Chef” and “Real Housewives” franchises, can’t fathom why Strahan would leave “the greatest job in TV” for a position among five anchors on “Good Morning America.”
“The thing that no one is talking about is to me, the job of cohosting ‘Live’ is the greatest job in TV. And she’s so good at it and he was so good at it, but it’s a job that you take and you take it for life. She’s been at that job for 15 years,” said Cohen. “I can’t get over that he left ‘Live’ where it was the best show ‘Live with Kelly and Michael’—your name is in the [expletive] title. You can spend your life here. You can spend 15 years here and make serious bank, by the way.”
He went on to say: “He left and went to ‘GMA.’ He’s now with five people sitting at that crowded anchor desk. It’s like 18 co-anchors. And here’s my thing—what happens if the ratings don’t go up? … What is going to happen to this sweet man? By then she will have a new cohost. I don’t know. I just don’t see how you leave the greatest job in TV to be one of five people. That’s what I couldn’t get over.”
Though talks have suggested ABC executives are looking at Cohen, Neil Patrick Harris, and Anderson Cooper as replacements, Cohen believes Cooper is best fit for the job.
“You know who I think would be great at that job? My buddy AC, [Anderson] Cooper. He would be so good cohosting that show,” the 47-year-old said.
Kelly Ripa is set to return to her hosting duties on April 26, a sight Cohen is excited to see.
“I am really looking forward to tomorrow on ‘Live,’” Cohen said. “I can’t wait to see what she says. Who isn’t going to be watching that?”
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