Michael Strahan Gets Candid About Workplace Tension With Former Co-Host Kelly Ripa

Michael Strahan is getting candid about his relationship with his former Live With Kelly & Michael co-star, Kelly Ripa.

The 48-year-old TV host and former NFL player opened up in an interview with The New York Times.

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“One thing I tried to do is have a meeting every few weeks with her. We met a few times, and that was fine. But then eventually she said she didn’t need to meet…can’t force somebody to do something they don’t want to do,” he said of their workplace interactions.

“Certain things that were going on behind the scenes just caught up,” he went on to say.

He also said he “remained the same person I was from day one,” and “when it was time to go, it was time to go,” but admitted his exit from the show “could have been handled better.”

“I didn’t wake up and say, ‘I want a job at GMA.’ I was asked to do it by the people who run the network. It was really not a choice. It was a request,” he explained.

“People who should have handled it better have all apologized, but a lot of the damage had already been done. For me, it was like: Move on. Success is the best thing. Just keep on moving,” he said.

“If people think, ‘Oh, he hates her’ — 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.”

For more from Michael, head to NYTimes.com.

READ MORE: Michael Strahan Reveals He Hasn’t Spoken to Kelly Ripa in a ‘Long Time’