Kelly Ripa looked only too happy to send Michael Strahan packing on Friday's episode of "Live," aptly called "Michael's Flashback Friday Farewell."
Ripa wore black to mark the occasion and started off the show by putting her arm around Michael, saying, "Don't take this as a bad sign. It's Friday the 13."
Strahan said that 13 was lucky to him and remarked that he was just happy he wasn't six feet under (awkward!).
"It's your final day on the show," Ripa said. "We all came today to celebrate you," adding that the merchandise for "Live with Kelly and Michael" would now be considered a collector's item. When Ripa asked how her co-host was doing, Strahan said the leaving was "bittersweet" for him, but reminded the audience (once again) that he wasn't dying.
"I'm still in the family and I can still come back to co-host," Strahan said. Ripa (sort of) playfully asked Michael if he wanted to come back to fill in when she went on vacation in a few weeks and Michael responded with a "Too soon!" Ripa continued to awkwardly push her (almost) former co-host into coming back to fill in for her once again in the show.
About 10 minutes into the show, a video montage played clips and pictures of the two co-hosts' most memorable moments, reminding the audience of the good times. Toward the end of the episode, Ripa introduced another touching video dedicated to Strahan's four years on the show, wrapping him in a bear hug after it aired.
"We couldn't be prouder of you," Ripa said to Strahan, after giving him a few gifts and sending him off with a champagne toast. "You have given us so much joy in the mornings. We really are so so proud of you and we've achieved so much together."
Strahan gave a sweet goodbye speech, before telling Ripa "You're the best, I love you baby!" and kissing her on the cheek. Music at the end of the episode seemed to awkwardly cut short Strahan's speech, but he did his best to talk over it.
Ever since Strahan allegedly blindsided Ripa by keeping his move to "Good Morning America" a secret, things have been shaky between the two co-hosts. Ripa responded to Strahan's shocking departure by refusing to show up to work, returning to "Live" a week later.
Despite the 45-year-old's congratulatory return to "Live," things only got rockier on-air from there. Ripa threw some shade at Strahan by bringing up contract negotiations during a show bit and later brought up his two divorces for an uncomfortable segment.
Ripa decided to send Strahan a not-so-subtle hint the day before his departure, wearing a jacket with the word "Freedom" emblazoned on the back. She pulled a similar non-verbal move just after news of his exit broke, and carried out a copy of Malcolm Gladwell's book David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants.
Strahan will begin his new role with "Good Morning America" in September and hopefully enjoy a few months out of the shady spotlight.
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