Live with Kelly & Michael

Kelly Ripa was hired to replace Kathie Lee Gifford on the morning show known as Regis & Kathie Lee, from 1988 to 2000. When her contract was up, Kathie Lee Gifford decided to leave the show and focus on completing a CD album and performing live theater. This would leave a void, temporarily to be filled by different people co-hosing with Regis Philbin. For the next year, the show would be called Live With Regis.

Among the guest co-hosts to sit beside Regis Philbin was Kelly Ripa of soap opera fame. On November 1, 2001, the show was changed to Live With Regis & Kelly and remained that way until 2011. At the age of 80, Philbin was evasive about why he was leaving. He admited the reason was a combination of being tired of doing a daily talk show and a salary dispute. Once again, the show was left with one host in need of finding a new co-host. For the next year, Kelly hosted Live With Kelly, and like Regis before her, she was assisted with a different co-host each day, until 2012.

After 16 appearances on Live With Kelly, New York Giants defensive end football player Michael Strahan became Kelly Ripa's permanent co-host. Live With Kelly & Michael was born. Kelly and Michael come out smiling and sit at a wooden table They drink from identical black mugs. The two-some share quips about their personal lives and interesting items they find in the paper. On April 11, 2013, Michael and Kelly demonstrated how to properly take a selfie with cellphone, making sure not to hold the phone too high or too low. Once the show gets underway, they host models, actors, musicians, politicians, and comedians. Sometimes they have contests.