“Live! With Kelly and Michael” got a great overnight TV ratings boost on Tuesday, thanks to co-host Kelly Ripa‘s highly anticipated return from self-imposed hiatus.
The daytime show jumped 62 percent week over week versus last Tuesday — the day that news of Strahan’s upcoming exodus broke — per Nielsen’s overnight numbers. And compared to this Monday’s show, which Michael Strahan handled with a substitute co-host, yesterday’s episode grew 38 percent from day to day.
“Live!” scored a 4.7 rating/16 share in the U.S. metered market household metric on Tuesday, per the preliminary measurement. The prior day, it was a 3.4/12. Last Tuesday, the long-running syndicated show had a 2.9/10, consistent with the day prior.
Before Tuesday, Ripa had been away from the show for several days after being left in the dark on Strahan’s move to “Good Morning America.” She’s since received apologies from ABC executives and Strahan himself. Rumors of a rift among the on-air colleagues didn’t take long to swirl.
Yesterday, Ripa and Strahan held hands before Regis Philbin‘s former partner explained her absence. The co-workers seemed fine — for the cameras, at least.
The ex-New York Giants great will be leaving “Live!” on May 13, but he’s not scheduled for the “GMA” co-anchor chair until September.
“I needed a couple of days to gather my thoughts. After 26 years with this company I earned the right,” Ripa said before joking that members of the studio audience probably called in sick to attend the show.
“In that time, I gained some perspective. I always speak from the heart, I didn’t want to come out here and just, like, say something I might regret,” said Ripa, who has co-hosted “Live” since 2001. “What transpired, though, over the course of a few days has been extraordinary in the sense that it started a much greater conversation about communication and consideration and most importantly, respect in the workplace.”
“I’m so happy you’re back,” Strahan served up. “I love you.”