Jimmy Kimmel sat in as Kelly Ripa’s first guest host on LIVE Monday morning, wasting very little time in addressing the elephant not in the room.
After walking out holding Ripa’s hand, yet having his seat pulled out for him by his lovely co-anchor, Kimmel had just one question for Ripa:
“Where’s Michael?” he asked, making a reference to Michael Strahan.
“That’s right you don’t read newspapers,” Ripa responded over the laughing audience.
Strahan, of course, said goodbye to LIVE on Friday, following a very awkward few weeks in which he announced he was leaving for Good Morning America and Ripa responded in outrage.
Just two days after Strahan departed the program, it unveiled a new logo and title.
Kimmel then joked that he’s “like an ex-boyfriend you go back to for sex,” prior to peppering producer Michael Gelman with many questions about Strahan.
“Will you ever talk to Michael Strahan again? Will he be back on the show as a guest?” Kimmel asked.
An embarrassed Gelman responded with a “yes” and a “maybe.”
But Kimmel wasn’t done!
He later introduced a new game called “Wheel of Co-hosts,” which featured a spinning wheel come down from the ceiling with the names of seven potential candidates to become Ripa’s next full-time co-anchor.
It included Derek Jeter (YES!), Kylie Jenner (NO!) and a “party-sized summer sausage.”
When it landed on the latter, though, Kimmel joked he was getting a call from his producer.
“The sausage is leaving to go to Good Morning America,” he said, making fun og Strahan’s impending new gig on GMA.
Pretty great stuff all around. The topic had to be addressed, right?
Following Kimmel on the co-hosting docket will be Empire’s Jussie Smollett on Tuesday… comedian Cedric the Entertainer on Wednesday… ABC World News Tonight anchor David Muir on Thursday… and Hawaii Five-0’s Daniel Dae Kim on Friday.
Do you want to see any of them become permanent host?
What about any of the stars listed below?
