Michael Strahan will leave “Live! With Kelly and Michael”  …setting the stage for producers to get an early start finding a replacement.

Until Tuesday, ABC reps had insisted that Strahan would work through the summer and join “Good Morning America” next fall.

Kelly Ripa comes back to “Live! with Kelly and Michael”- and then word spread that Michael Strahan’s last day on “Live!” will be May 13. He’ll join “Good Morning America” full time next fall.

photo: ABC
Kelly Ripa comes back to “Live! with Kelly and Michael”- and then word spread that Michael Strahan’s last day on “Live!” will be May 13. He’ll join “Good Morning America” full time next fall.

“After meeting with the producers of both `Live!’ and `Good Morning America,” and after speaking with Kelly and Michael, we have decided on a plan that best advantages both shows for the future,” ABC officials said.
“To that end, Michael’s last day on ‘Live’ will be on Friday, May 13, which not only gives the show the chance to have a nice send-off for him during the May book, but to also immediately begin the on-air search for a new co-host.
Their four-year adventure together began on Sept. 4, 2012 as Michael Strahan was introduced as Ripa’s permanent co-host after a few guest appearances in the past. In the hilarious debut episode, Strahan jogged into the studio and scooped up Ripa in a big hug before getting into an Olympic-style episode. The show was sure to be a hit and the ratings definitely proved it!
If you’re familiar with “Live!” than you know how serious the duo takes Halloween!

Good Happy Times: For the fist year, Michael Strahan dressed up an Oprah and Ripa as various guests like Long Island Medium Theresa Caputo (top) and infamous “Tan Mom” (bottom). Their usual stage was converted to look like the set of “Oprah” and Strahan took the show away with his hilarious impersonation.

This plan also allows GMA to start integrating Michael into the show more often this summer before his full-time start in September.”
Ripa joined Strahan Tuesday morning on “Live!” for the first time in almost a week after claiming she was “blindsided” by ABC brass and Strahan when they told he was leaving the program in a post-show meeting last week.

Photo: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP                                     Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images
Honoree Kelly Ripa, “Live with Kelly and Michael”, attends the 23rd Annual Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame Awards at the Waldorf-Astoria on Monday, Oct. 28, 2013 in New York.

Kelly Ripa has complained that she was blindsided by news that Strahan was leaving “Live!” for a full time job on “Good Morning America.”
“May 13 is his last show,” a source told People magazine.
“He’ll take the summer off and GMA can integrate him early before September, and this will give Live! more time to find the co-host. He’s totally fine that. Now he can enjoy his summer.”
Ripa told viewers that she took a day off to “process” the news and then left for the rest of the week on a preplanned vacation to celebrate her wedding anniversary.
Strahan has told friends he was hurt by her behavior, but “Live!” sources said the pair have

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